Through the Eyes of a Scarred Soul
by Lord of Beef Dip
Summary: After murdering his brother for the crown, Scar spent years ruling the Pride Lands. Upon Simba's return, his reign was brought to a violent and brutal end. But his life was not. Saved by the nephew he betrayed, Scar finds himself faced with emotions he had long considered dead. Now the former king must try and make amends for his crimes, surrounded by those who fear and loathe him.
1. Reflections

_Author's note:_

"The summary doesn't do the description justice. Character limits and what not. But, the premise is simple, and hardly unique. I've long entertained the thought of doing a story in this fandom, and was hesitant to do so, unsure of my own abilities. But I've decided to give it a shot.

The premise, is simple as I said. Scar is saved by Simba, before being devoured by the hyenas. But in the time between his fall from the Pride Rock and his rescue, he begins to look back on his life. On the things that he thought were justified at the time. He begins to see the error of his ways. That is pretty much the idea, Scar finding redemption, with Simba struggling to forgive him for all that he had done.

Of course there will be more, stuff that crosses over into events from TLK2, with obvious differences of course. But that is later, the first few chapters will be in the lull, between TLK1 and the second movie.

I plan on expounding on Scar's history, and I hope I can come with some unique stuff, both his life before the first movie, and his reign.

I'm hoping my idea is a sound one for a story, and want everyone reading this to give it a fair chance. I am of course, very accepting of criticism, so long as it isn't tasteless flaming. I'm open to suggestions as well, be it for plot or future characters. Anything to improve my writing.

This chapter was beta read by Incarnate Firefly.

* * *

Fire.

It was everywhere, threatening to consume everything in its path. Yet it was the least of Scar's problems. He was currently backed into a corner, both literally and metaphorically. The hyenas had turned on him, dozens of them surrounding him with the bottom of Pride Rock to his back, preventing any chance of escape.

Even over the roar of the fire he could hear their laughter, and for the first time in years, Scar felt genuine terror. Not even the sight of Simba returning had scared him so much; once he had gotten over the shock of seeing the overgrown hairball alive, his keen mind had instantly gone to work to find a way out.

His nephew may have been much bigger and stronger, but he was also inexperienced and naive. Easy to manipulate. At least Scar had thought so at the time, but as it turned out, his attempt to deflect the blame for Mufasa's murder failed spectacularly. Not only did he fail to frame Simba, but he picked the wrong party to place the blame on. His timing on such was also quite poorly executed. Now he was about to pay the price; and this time no amount of sweet talking or subtle manipulation would be enough to get him out of it.

Without warning, two hyenas jumped out from behind Shenzi, both going for his throat. He managed to bat the first away with a sharp blow to its midsection, cracking several ribs and cuttings its flesh nearly to the bone. The second managed to reach him, but thanks to his mane the only thing it tasted was a mouthful of hair, before Scar grabbed it by the nape with his teeth and slung it roughly off to the side.

Several more immediately rushed in, attacking from all sides. He slapped one to the side, before he felt another's teeth sinking into the flesh above his left rear leg. Roaring in pain, he turned to rip its throat out, but before he could, he felt two more sets of teeth bite into him; one on his left shoulder, inches from his spine, and another latching onto his chest. Thinking quickly, he flung himself into the side of the rock face and rolled, dislodging both hyenas before they could inflict any debilitating injuries.

Scar then noticed a crevice just a few feet wide, a short distance to his left. There were no hyenas blocking it at the moment, but he would have to jump through several feet of fire to get to it. Still, any chance of escape was better than being eaten alive. So braving the flames, he leaped through the inferno, burning his back paws on some coals, before finding his way into the narrow passage.

He made it, perhaps twenty feet or so in before seeing that there was indeed an opening, but one far too small for even a cub to squeeze through, much less a grown lion like himself. With the entire hyena clan closing in on him, Scar began reflecting on everything from his cubhood to the present. As strange as it was to him, he found himself questioning his actions more than he ever had in the past; starting with his plot to kill Simba in the graveyard and leading up to the point where he murdered Mufasa, his own brother, for the throne.

While Scar had at times felt guilt in the past for what he had done, he had rarely stopped to think that it might all have been the wrong thing to do. But in the months leading up to Simba's return, he had found himself actually missing his brother more and more. At first he tried telling himself that the only reason he wished Mufasa were still alive was so that it would be he who would have to deal with the kingdom falling apart, not Scar himself. But the more he had thought about it, the more he had realized that he regretted killing Mufasa. To be sure, he was plenty angry at some of the things his brother had said and done, but when he thought back, death should not have been the answer. But he could not openly admit any of it, not even to himself. These feelings became so strong that the mere mention of Mufasa's name would bring up all the old feelings, ones Scar hadn't felt since they were both adolescents; before Mufasa was declared the sole heir. Before he allowed his darker side to consume him.

So Scar had enacted a new law, one forbidding anyone to mention Mufusa in any way, so long as it was in his presence. While most others simply saw it as him losing his mind; going mad with power, it was in reality so much more than that. It was his way of dealing with the pain; if he could forget his brother ever existed, he would never have to remember what he had done to him. When Simba returned, the illusion he had attempted to cast on himself was shattered, and all his bitterness returned with a vengeance. All his rage, his resentment, both for Mufasa and Simba surfaced once more. And since only one of the two was alive, Simba was the sole recipient of it.

Scar almost laughed at how hilarious fate could be. For the first time in his life, he was beginning to see the error of his ways, and to feel genuine remorse for his actions; but in a few more minutes he would be nothing more than a meal for the hyenas, the same ones who had stuck with him for so many years despite his rude and often cold attitude towards them. But that didn't stop him from selling them out at a moment's notice, to try and save his own skin. And that was the true irony of the situation.

He saw them. Shenzi, Banzai and the 'stupid' one, Ed, who was smarter than he had let on. He might have even been the smartest of the three in some ways, he was always the most observant of all them. They were standing at the entrance to the cave, with nearly a dozen hyenas in front of them, and countless more waiting in the shadows. Scar took a moment to observe them, expecting to see sadistic expressions of glee. Instead, they appeared almost sad. Upset, anguished even. But they could not let his betrayal go unpunished, the rest of the clan would never accept that, and Scar could see the turmoil in their eyes at what was to happen.

"Sorry it had to be this way old buddy, but you brought it on yourself big time with this." Banzai looked at the ground sadly, before Shenzi smacked the back of his head, motioning for them to leave.

One final glance back, and they disappeared out of Scar's line of sight. A part of him was touched, in that they couldn't bring themselves to take part in his death, that they still valued the friendship they used to have. But with the masses advancing on him, he couldn't allow himself to be distracted by such sentimental thoughts. Barring a miracle, his situation was hopeless. But he refused to go down without a fight, to become a meal for those slobbering mongrels.

Roaring ferociously, Scar charged at the advancing horde and brought a clawed paw down on the skull of one unfortunate hyena. Before he could even catch his breath, he felt another latch on to his other leg, tearing deep into the muscle. He managed to sling it off, but several more leaped upon him, tearing into his shoulders and pinning him to the ground. It started to become a blur, as he thrashed madly, refusing to give up. Finality a set of jaws closed around his throat, and he felt the world around him blur as his vision began to fade.

...

At the top of Pride Rock, Simba watched as his uncle tumbled down the side, smashing roughly into the rocks as he fell. To his surprise, he saw that Scar managed to get up, seemingly unaffected by the fall. But as he looked closer, he saw dozens of shadows moving around. Hyenas, dozens at least. No doubt the remainder of Scar's army. He nearly turned away, but their cackling managed to keep his attention, and he saw his uncle shrinking back, in apparent terror. It clicked right away with Simba, from the way Scar was cowering, to the aggressive posture of the hyenas, and the rightful king knew in an instant was about to happen. In a few short moments , they were going to rip his uncle to shreds.

"Serves him right," Simba snorted, but then thought on the matter more closely. Scar was a murderer, he killed Mufasa and tried to kill him, more than once. But seeing the look of horror etched into his uncle's face, Simba wondered if simply leaving him to die was the right thing to do. Did he actually deserve to meet his end in such a manner?

He figured that due to Scar's close contact with the hyenas, that his and Nala's brush with death at the elephant graveyard was his doing in some way or another. So would it not be justice for Scar to be devoured in the same way he intended his own nephew to be? More than ever, Simba was confused on what path to take, and he glanced to the heavens in search of guidance.

"Father, I know now what he did, and that he should be punished for it, but is this the answer...what should I do?"

As he spoke, a faint breeze started up around Simba. It was comforting in a way, and the scent it brought with it was very familiar. "Father?"

_"Simba, the answer rests within you. It takes more strength to forgive your enemies than to condemn them. My son, do as you know I would do."_

Mufasa's voice lingered in his head, and Simba smiled, realizing what his father wanted him to do. He whispered a silent "thank you" to the deceased king, before turning his attention to the roaring from below, and the pained yelps of several hyenas. Scar was attempting to fight them off, but Simba could tell that it was a doomed effort. Simba gathered a few of the lionesses and hurriedly took off, descending from Pride Rock as quickly as possible. They would think he was crazy, even he thought so. But it was the right thing to do.

* * *

Scar opened his eyes, suddenly finding himself leaping onto the bottom of a cliff face. For a moment he thought he had somehow managed to get away from the hyenas by attempting to scale Pride Rock. But once he got his bearings, he realized that he was somewhere else entirely. Somewhere that made the blood in his veins turn to ice.

What was worse was that he seemed to have no control over his body, as he struggled to climb the jagged cliff. He then heard the thundering of thousands of hooves below him, and the frantic cries of a young cub, worried for his father. He recognized the place as the gorge, the very same one he threw his brother into, but something wasn't right. That cub sounded just like Simba did as a cub. Scar suddenly got a horrible feeling about what was happening, even as he pondered the absurdity of the situation.

His body felt much heavier too, and he managed to catch a glimpse of his paws; instead of being a dark shade of brown, they were of a brilliant golden hue. At once the implications of this struck him, and as his body moved, independent of his own will, he realized that he was correct, that he was reliving the past. But it wasn't his past that he was experiencing. As if to punish him more, apparently fate deemed it appropriate to make him relive his darkest moment, from his brother's perspective. And Scar knew precisely how it was to end, because that memory had been forever imprinted into his mind the moment he committed that vile act.

As he struggled near the top, he saw his past self lean over the edge of the cliff, a cold, calculating smile creeping onto the ghastly face.

"Scar, brother, please...help me!" Mufasa begged, though it felt like Scar was speaking those words alongside him. At that point all the emotions, all the the thoughts his brother had experienced became instantly clear to Scar. He felt the sudden burst of joy, Mufasa had been glad that his brother was there for him, to pull him to safety and help rescue Simba. Then, as he felt the pain of sharpened claws pierce through the skin, Scar felt the same confusion Mufasa had no doubt felt, as they both roared in pain. But Mufasa remained hopeful. Hope that it was just another of his brothers twisted jokes, that Scar would pull him to safety; just as he would have done had their places been reversed.

But his past self leaned in, and whispered those dreadful words into his ear. "Long live the king." All the terror, the crushing sadness that his brother felt that day, Scar felt it with absolute clarity. He also felt the love Mufasa still had for him and the sting of betrayal. He felt every emotion that flooded through his brother's mind. Terror, shock, disappointment, and...regret, all mixing together at once. He then glanced into the eyes of his former self, and nearly cringed. They looked devoid of life, of compassion. Seeing himself from the outside in showed him something he never once thought he could be; evil, wicked, neither were good enough to describe what he saw, and he didn't like it one bit.

Then his viewpoint switched, with him being violently tossed back into the body of his past self, right as he cast Mufasa into the stampede. All the guilt in him rose up anew, as he heard his brother's roar of anguish for the final time. Then, as soon as the body had fallen out of sight beneath the hooves of wildebeest, everything went black again and Scar found himself thrust back into the present.

He heard frantic roaring, and hyenas growling and yelping in pain. He didn't know what to make of the vision he had just experienced, but it certainly felt real to him. But the present was what concerned him, and he strained to open his eyes, barely able to move.

Through blurred sight, he saw a huge, red-maned lion fighting off several hyenas. Scar couldn't believe his eyes at the sight. One tried latching itself to the lions throat, but he caught it mid lunge, smashing a massive paw over it's head and nearly splitting the skull clean open.

"Mu-Mufasa?"

After batting away several more hyenas, Simba turned towards his uncle, knowing that the lionesses he brought with him were more than capable of driving the rest of the mangy scavengers away.

"Brother, you're here...how..why are you..saving me, after all that I've done...why?" Not realizing who he was talking to, Scar kept rambling.

"You shouldn't...be wasting the effort...I..I don't deserve your mercy, nor your forgiveness."

Simba was taken slightly aback. Obviously Scar was delusional, and thought he was Mufasa, but his change in attitude from moments before was astonishing. He certainly seemed distraught, and remorseful enough. As if he was somehow grieving over what he had done.

A few seconds later, Scar managed to regain his focus, and he realized that it was not Mufasa who rescued him, but Simba. No doubt the blood loss was getting to him. That was the second time that day he had confused the two.

"S-Simba?" Scar said, as Simba managed to pull him over his back, supporting his weight. "You fool...risking your life for me, you should have left me for the hyenas..."

Simba shook his head as best he could. "No, Scar. If I did that, that would make me no better than you. I did what was right, what my father would have done if he were still alive." The last words were said with more bitterness than he intended, something Scar barely noticed.

Unable to remain conscious long enough to even acknowledge his nephew's statement, and certainly unable to throw out any sort of garbled response, Scar's mind drifted away, leaving the problems of reality behind and replacing those with all the horrors his subconscious mind could produce.


	2. Memories and Moments

**Disclaimer:** I do not own The Lion King. That copyright is Disney's. I do own this particular interpretation , and any OOC's.

A/N: And here is the second chapter. Sooner than I expected to have it out, though it has been finished since before I uploaded the first.

But I was already into the 5th chapter, and just put in another 2,500 words overall, so I'm feeling generous. I wouldn't expect updates this fast all the time, considering I want to keep _at least_ 2-3 chapters ahead of the curve. Only three reviews, not as many as I'd like, but I'm not going to start begging. Not yet at least.

But the feedback is good so far, which makes me happy.

Queen Simba94: Indeed, their reactions will be interesting. Some are more supportive of Scar than you would think. Not of his murder per say, but of who he was before he became corrupted. As for Nala and Sarafina, their reactions might not be seen in full till at least chapter 6.

GeminiGemelo: Already covered it in a long as hell PM lol.

Emerald dreamer96: Naturally. The next chapter will probably be close to the end of the month. Depending on a lot of factors. Expect some surprises in coming chapters.

And, if anyone is interested, and like Dragonball Z, I have a story in that fandom. Check my profile form more. I actually updated that story today as well, but it is my son's 1st birthday, so maybe that has put me in a good mood. Now, on to the story.

* * *

As Simba reached the summit of Pride Rock, he saw the reactions from all the other lionesses. None said anything aloud, but he could hear the whispers, and the doubt was plainly visible in their eyes.

_"Why is he helping that murderer?"_

_"Mufasa's son, so Scar lied about that too."_

_"He is a fool, if that is his first action he has no place as our king-"_

Sarabi roared, silencing the other lionesses. Simba was about to ask one of them to fetch Rafiki, but as he turned, he was suddenly face to face with the mandrill/baboon hybrid, which shocked Simba greatly. It was annoying habit of his, and Simba was tempted to speak out his disgust, but stopped mid breath when he saw the knowing look on the old shamans face.

"Rafiki knows what you need, have no worry. That uncle of yours certainly is lucky you 'stumbled' on him when you did. Any longer and he mightn't have been able to be saved. Come, Rafiki will treat him in the den he resided in long ago."

Rafiki saw the confused look Simba had, and realized that he must have forgotten where that even was.

"Come, follow Rafiki, he knows the way."

Simba sighed, and followed behind Rafiki, as he felt an odd sense of deja vu.

* * *

It was like a void, black, no images. All Scar had to keep him company were his memories. All the sordid things he had said and done, combined with some of his happiest moments, together created the ultimate torture for him.

"_So be prepared, for the death of the king!"_

_"What, is he sick?_

_"No fool, were going to kill him. Simba too."_

_..._

_"Taka, we'll always look out for each other, right? No matter who father chooses to follow in his paw prints as king. Right?"_

_"Yes brother, nothing could ever tear us apart. I assure you of that."_

_..._

_"...though I don't think you deserve this, I practically had those cubs gift wrapped for you."_

_..._

_"Uncle Scar, when I'm king I'll make sure we have plenty of time to spend together like this."_

_"Oh don't flatter your dear uncle with such talk, I know you'll be __**far **__too busy, what with running the kingdom and all, to make time for little old me."_

_"But if I'm king, I can do whatever I want...isn't that what being king is all about?"_

_"No my boy, leading the kingdom is a great responsibility, one that must never be taken lightly. You have to put the needs of your subjects before your own. That is simply how it works."_

_"Dad never said anything about that...you know, you really are smart, that's why you're my favorite uncle."_

_"Child, I am your __**only**__ uncle."_

_"All the more reason to look up to you, right?"_

_..._

_"Kill him."_

_..._

_"Of course, quid pro quo, you're expected to take certain duties on board..."_

_..._

_"Brother, you mean everything to me. Father may have chosen you to rule, but I'll always be there to lend a helping paw, just say they word and I'll be there."_

_"I can count on you then, Taka?"_

_"Yes."_

_..._

_"So you really are going to go through with it. Killing Mufasa and his little brat?"_

_"Of course I am. Just make sure the wildebeest are where we need them to be, I trust you won't fail me Shenzi."_

_"Oh Scar, you can count on us."_

_"Splendid. Then tonight shall be the last, for both Mufasa and that wretched little hairball of his. Then begins a shining new era..."_

_..._

_"So, am I going to like this surprise?"_

_..._

_"Murderer!"_

_..._

_"Simba, it will be to __**die **__for..."_

_..._

_"Everything you ever told me was a lie!"_

"Enough!" Scar screamed, pulling himself from his twisted dream world in the process. In addition, his roar sent a cub skittering across the cave, till it nearly smacked head first into one of the walls.

As he struggled to open his eyes, he was met with a cowering Nuka, who was just starting to edge closer to him. Scar nearly sighed in exasperation, the cub was always a pain. That wasn't to say he didn't care for him, rather he despised how cowardly he could be, and so immature for his age. Because of that, he was considering naming his other son, Kovu as heir, unless Nuka could prove otherwise that he was fit to rule. Perhaps both could have ruled together in time, but that wasn't to be, as the rightful king, Simba had returned.

Plus, Scar knew he would have a lot to account for. Simba would never forgive him overnight, which was understandable. He was surprised enough when Simba didn't try to kill him outright; if he pictured himself in Simba's place, and assuming he gave a damn about his own father, he would have ripped the murderer apart. After a moment of numbness, the pain hit him. At least this time it was only physical. A part of him wished that he had finished the job, and simply tossed Simba off that cliff when he had the chance, like he did to his father. That way he wouldn't be in such a sorry predicament. He sighed, knowing that having done so would have only been more problematic for him in the long run.

It was a struggle, but Scar finally managed to force himself into a sitting position, before addressing his son. "Nuka, son, I won't harm you, so you could come a bit closer so I don't have to shout."

Meekly, the cub inched his way closer, till he was less than two meters from his father. "So, how long have I been out for?"

Nuka paused to think, as he scratched at his scraggly beginnings of a mane. "A-about two days, -f-father."

"I see..." Scar said. It certainly felt like he had been out a while, but two days...then again, he remembered how badly the hyenas had injured him before Simba's intervention. He had been on the brink of death, and it was probably the work of that crazy shaman, Rafiki, that he was in as good of shape as he was. "Care to fill your old man in on what has happened since that hairball-I mean, Simba took over." " And boy, don't stutter, I've already told you you have nothing to fear from me."

"Y-Yes. Well, mother returned, not long a-after you were brought to the cave. She, she blamed him...Simba for hurting you...they tried telling her the truth, t-that it was the h-hyenas, but s-she wouldn't listen."

"Yes, that sounds like Zira all right." Scar deadpanned. "I do hope she doesn't try anything rash. The last thing we need is for her to get on Simba's bad side so soon."

"Y-Yeah. She stormed off, not saying a word to him. Like he was nothing to her. H-heard her mumbling about finding those two lioness friends of hers...that Simba would pay." Nuka said

"That probably isn't good..." Scar said, fighting against the pain and stiffness of his muscles, till he managed to coax his body into a standing position.

Suddenly he heard the sound of claws scrapping against rock, then roars...both lion and lioness.

"Oh goody...I see her timing is impeccable as always." With that, Scar limped towards the entrance of the cave, as fast as his wounded frame would allow him.

Right as he made it outside, he managed to catch sight of Simba, throwing an attacking lioness off roughly. Scar quickly recognized her as Shida. Always outspoken, never afraid to speak her mind. He glanced and saw her younger half-sister, Shaka dueling with Nala; being much older, Nala had a clear advantage, easily pinning her foe to the ground. Scar then saw Zira, about to leap on Simba from behind. In his mind, he was divided on whether to warn his nephew, or leave him to his fate. Fortunately for Simba, one of Zira's footsteps stirred a rock loose, and he was able to turn and intercept her, mid pounce.

For a few seconds they bit and clawed at each other, till Simba finally put his superior strength to use, slamming her down roughly on the rocks. Then, in a move all to similar to what he did to Scar, he put his paw on her throat, not enough to inflict serious injury, but more than adequate in keeping her in place.

"I warned you once Zira. Since you had no part in my fathers death, I would allow you to stay here. Even though he was your mate, I wasn't going to punish you, or your cubs for his actions. But you crossed the line by attacking me and those I care about. There is only one ruling I can pass for that, and that is exile. You, and those who have taken part in this mutiny are no longer welcome in my father's lands. "

He released her then, and were it not for the other lionesses-nearly a dozen strong- now flanking him, Zira would have pressed on with her attack. "I have no allegiance to you or your father, only to Scar, the rightful king of the pridelands."

Simba narrowed his eyes. "Scar was king solely because her murdered my father and exiled me. "

"He did what he had to. So what if he had to get his paws dirty to claim what should have always been his?" Zira spat with venom. Something about what she said, and the way she said the words didn't quite set right with Scar.

Obviously Simba felt the same, because less than a second later he was in her face, teeth bared menacingly. "Enough. I won't have you belittling my fathers murder, on top of your attempt on mine and Nala's lives. I want you off of Pride Rock, and across the border by tomorrow at sun up. If I ever catch you in my territory again, you will pay for it in blood."

"Of course, whatever you ask my _liege_." She hissed. "But don't think this is over by any stretch. Come Vitani."

Turning to her eldest, who had barely slunk into view, she barked out harshly,"Nuka, you flea brained imbecile, make yourself useful and bring Kovu."

Terror stricken, but determined to try and stand up for himself, Nuka nervously fiddled with his mane."A-actually mother...I don't want to leave..."

"You what!" She roared.

"Y-yeah, you heard m-me. I want t-to s-stay with my dad. And, Simba doesn't s-seem, all tha-that bad to me..."

"You, traitorous little whelp.." Zira growled, taking several steps toward Nuka with her fangs bared. He cringed backward, only to bump right into Simba's front leg.

Not wishing any harm to come to the cub, Simba took a step in front of him protectively. It seemed ironic, that he was stepping in to save the offspring of the lion who murdered his own father...but then again, it didn't matter who his father was, he was still innocent and did not deserve whatever punishment Zira had in mind.

Zira took notice of that and stopped in her tracks, but kept her claws unsheathed.

"He is old enough to decide what he wants for himself Zira, and I will not allow an innocent cub to be punished for something like that." Then, his gaze softening, Simba cast his eyes down to his much younger cousin.

The cub, who was beginning to border on adolescence, greatly resembled Scar. His mane, which was just starting to grow, was black, like Scar's. His underbelly had orange tints to it, much like his father did. But the top half of his coat was a lighter, cream color, like Zira's. His eyes were an odd mix, a shade caught inbetween red and green.

But appearances didn't matter, and Simba finally managed to smile at the child. "So, do you wish to stay, to be with your...father?" The last word was said with a snort, but Nuka either was oblivious or simply didn't care.

Instead, he nodded his head meekly. "Y-yes, sir...I, I do."

"Then I will allow it. As for the rest of you, my ruling still stands. You are to be off these lands before the sun next rises." Silently, he whispered a prayer, more for Zira's other two cubs than for her or the two lionesses. They would need all the luck they could get if they were to survive in the Outlands with Zira for a parent. Perhaps when they were older, if they made it that far, he would welcome them into his kingdom. That was if Zira didn't brainwash them before then.

Zira turned, and picked up Kovu, with tenderness that actually surprised Simba. "Mark my words Simba, you will pay." Muffled as it was, he still caught her words, as well as a few other muttered curses from the two lionesses accompanying her. The younger one, Shaka carefully picked up Vitani, before they all sauntered off towards the border.

Simba's ears then pricked at the sound of footsteps, turning just in time to be nearly face to face with his uncle. The shock caused him to bare his teeth, though he managed to calm himself after a few seconds.

"Now, now, is that any way to greet your dear, old uncle?" Scar spoke, unable to keep his voice entirely free of sarcasm.

"Silence!" Simba roared, suddenly resembling his deceased father to a degree that made Scar visibly flinch. "You should be considering yourself lucky you aren't joining your mate in the Outlands. I'm not even sure what to make of you, or what would be a suitable punishment. All I can say is, well, if you wish to remain here, then you have a lot to do to prove that you deserve forgiveness. Not just from me, but from the whole pride. The ones you lied to and deceived."

Suddenly indignant, Scar flicked his tail in an agitated manner."Prove to you, why should I have to prove a damn-" Suddenly Simba was in his face, his teeth inches away. Scar realized that he had made a mistake, and overstepped his bounds. A bit of guilt hit him, as he realized that his nephew had a bit of a point.

"You're treading on thin ice Scar, do not push me." Simba warned.

Now it was Scar's turn to stutter, though he did a much better job of covering it than his son, it was very apparent what side of the family Nuka inherited that trait from. "Y-yes, of course nephew. O-of course, your majesty."

The last time Simba heard those words spoken, they were filled with venom and scorn, with him getting a face full of hot coals seconds later. This time, Scar actually seemed sincere. Unhappy at being humbled, not surprising. But Simba figured he deserved to be brought down a few notches. But to the point, there was no hatred, or any sign that Scar was being condescending in his statement.

Simba simply nodded his head, glad that they had reached some form of understanding. He was about to turn and walk off, before Scar spoke up.

"Simba, I, I do wish to thank you for standing in the way of Zira and Nuka. It pains me to say this, but I haven't been much of a father to the lad, something I hope to rectify now among other things, and I never did anything to stop her from punishing him in the past, even if he wasn't at fault."

"I didn't do it for you Scar. I did it for him. I see a part of myself in that cub, a part I lost the minute you took my father away. Whatever the case, I didn't wan't him to suffer the same pain I did, to be separated from his father at such a young age. Maybe that's why I'm even considering the thought of giving you another chance, to stay in the Pridelands."

"I see. You know Simba, you posses so many of your fathers traits. Pity that I'm only now beginning to see how much I've missed out on by doing what I did...if only one could turn back time and undo the past...sadly that can't be done." Scar spoke those words slowly, attempting to mask his emotions with a wall of stoicism. But even Simba could see the regret, the shame that his uncle was trying to hide.

Seeing this, made him realize that not everything was a black and white as he used to believe it to be. That even someone as seemingly black-hearted as Scar could have redeeming qualities. Knowing this gave him hope, more than he had felt since the day his father appeared to him in the clouds, telling him to return home and reclaim his birthright. Hope that perhaps what was once broken could be eventually mended in time.

"You're right Scar. We can't change the past. But a wise monkey once said, we can learn from it. I hope you have learned from yours, uncle."

With that Simba turned and walked off, leaving Scar alone with his son. It dawned on him that Simba had addressed him as 'uncle', something he hadn't heard since he had banished the younger lion as a cub. It touched a small part of him, easing the pain he felt, if only slightly.

He was broken out of his thoughts, by a most unexpected question. "H-hey dad, what did Simba m-mean when he said y-you took away his fa-father?"

Scar drug his paw over his face, both in exasperation and sadness. "That, Nuka is a question best answered when you are...a bit older."

Nuka tilted his head in confusion. "W-why would I have t-to be older, I-I'm not as stupid as mom always said I-I w-was you k-know."

This pleased Scar slightly, to see that his son was actually asserting himself. The only thing he worried about was the stuttering, but he figured that Nuka would outgrow it given enough time.

"Nuka, your father hasn't always been the best of lions. I have done wrong to a great many in my time, but trust me on this, wait till you are older. Then I can explain everything, not just what Simba was referring to."

As they began walking towards the cave, Nuka muttered a "fine" under his breath, before tripping over his own feet. This caused Scar to chuckle in amusement.

This time however, his next words were said in jest, without the intent to ridicule."I'm surrounded by idiots."

* * *

Read and Review. And please, feel free to point out any mistakes in spelling and grammar, as well as suggestions to make the story better. Be it plot, dialogue, action scenes etc. I will consider suggestions, though I cannon promise if I will do them, or how I might modify them if I use them. I will give credit though for any I do use.


	3. Days Gone By

A/N: Not much to add this time around. This chapter was a bit bigger than the others, but I did't want to cut the last bit in half, would have made it very awkward if I did. So expect most other chapters to be in the upper 2,000s to lower 3,000s.

Queen Simba94: Already responded in a PM. I will look into your stories. As to the "Child, I'm your only uncle" bit, it is a direct reference to the 1st movie. Specifically, the part where Scar tells Simba he is looking out for his favorite nephew, and Simba points out that he is Scar's only nephew. I actually have several lines like that that reference certain lines in he films, so keep an eye out for those.

Emerald dreamer96: Yes, you are quite correct. Vitani and Kovu will have it rough, but they were too young to have any say so. And in Kovu's case especially, to young to even survive without his mother. It is my goal to make Simba more likable than he was in the movies.

CenterForInsanity: Dealt with in a PM a well. And don't worry, I do plan on looking into ways to fix what you pointed out.

compa16: Yes. Of course.

Now, read and review of course.

* * *

Several days later, with the worst of his injuries healed up, Scar managed to slip away from Pride Rock; making his way for the nearest water hole. He observed that since the rains returned and the drought broke, the grass had began to return to it's former, vibrant state. Angrily, he wandered why couldn't the rains have came sooner. Before Simba returned. It only cemented the thought into the majority of lionesses, that he was solely responsible for the sad state the kingdom found itself in.

Few ever complained to him openly, for fear of what he might do to them. In his last weeks spent as king, he had threatened a great many with becoming hyena chow, if they continued being so rebellious against his rule. Of course, he wasn't barbaric enough to actually follow through on his threats, but definitely got a twisted little kick out of it; especially if he managed to find an especially cowardly lioness. Now of course, he begrudgingly acknowledged that it wasn't the wisest thing to have said. That perhaps he might have been in the wrong for doing so. And having almost been a meal to them himself, suffice to say he could definitely understand why they had been so terrified of what he had said.

Scar soon began to reminisce, over his past. When they were cubs, he and Mufasa, he was never the favored one. Their father, King Ahadi, always seemed to put more emphasis on the eldest. Mufasa was nearly five moons older, Scar knew that much, but he still didn't like it when he was treated as if he were nonexistent.

Of course, his father loved him; Scar knew he would be a fool to deny that, but he rarely made time for him. Instead, he spent it tending to both the kingdom, and the oldest cub. Ahadi, once Mufasa was nearing adolescence began grooming him to be the sole heir.

Scar, grew resentful of this, not liking how his father seemed to be able to easily pick a favorite from among his children. He never once blamed Mufasa, that would come later, but it made him start to become distant with his father. Eventually, Ahadi took notice, and took him aside to try and find the source of the problem. Scar remembered that day, the anger he felt towards his father, and the accusations he threw his way.

Of course, he remembered his father assuring him that it wan't like he thought, that he cared for both of them equally. Scar recalled calling him out on that, that if that were really the case, then why did he, and everyone else always go on about Mufasa being the future king, but not even a mention of him. Scar had asked, no, demanded his father explain his way out of that.

His father, he knew, had sighed sadly at that. Ahadi then said that it was law, enacted by Adadi's great-grandfather-in-law, King Mkali. But, as his father put it, there had never been any problem as a result of the law, so no body else had felt the need to remove or amend it. As Ahadi told him though, when he thought about it, it did seem unfair in a great many ways to ignore the second cub.

His father then proposed that he could start training him, as well as Mufasa, to eventually follow in his footsteps. Ahadi even hinted that both of them might even be able to rule one day; assuming both could prove themselves capable leaders. That way there would be no having to pick between the two.

Scar remembered the joy he felt from that, not just at the prospect of ruling alongside his older brother, but that he would be getting to spend more time with both of them.

For a time, things went well between them all. Eventually he met the three hyenas, the very ones who would later assist him in his fratricide. They were about the same age as him, all young adolescents. The meeting was by accident, when Scar was patrolling the boundaries, not far from the Elephant Graveyard. They had run afoul of a couple of Cheetahs, who didn't like the idea of them being in their territory, as they put it. Using his position as prince, he managed to 'persuade' the two to leave the trio be.

Back then, hyenas were allowed access into the Pridelands, but only on the far western fringes. King Ahadi made the point clear that any hyena that set a foot beyond that mark would be fair game for any lion to punish them. He was normally a rational and kind hearted lion, but he had a deep seated loathing of them. No one really knew why, save for Scar's mother Uru, and Mufasa, and they both took that to their graves upon death. Scar often speculated that since his father was a rogue before he came to the Pridelands, that he had might have had some unpleasant encounters with them.

Whatever the reason, he only tolerated them as well as he did because of the wishes of his father-in-law, Mohatu the Wise. But Ahadi made the point clear than neither of his sons were to associate with the scavengers. It was one of the few times Scar and Mufasa saw their fathers temper really flare up; needless to say it was enough to scare them out of the idea for a long time.

Scar of course was first to break the rule, and though Mufasa figured out soon enough, he never told on his brother. At the time, they were virtually inseparable; both thinking that no force on earth could drive a wedge between them.

One day however, Scar recounted that his father began to become suspicious of where he had been, and what he had been doing. This was several moons after he began visiting the trio; at first his father believed him when he explained that it was just routine patrols, and that he was spending extra time to mark the boundaries. Scar even remembered adding for good measure, that their were a few times he caught rogue hyenas trespassing, and that he had to rough them up a bit.

After a time, and hearing the same old stories one to many times, his father endeavored to find out what he had been up to. Being a much better tracker, with nearly a decade of experience, Ahadi managed to shadow him, till he reached the meeting point with the three. His father did not act then, probably out of fear that he might provoke a violent response with the clan; full grown male that he was, he still knew that he had no chance against dozens of angry hyenas.

Instead, his father waited till he returned to Pride Rock. Angrily, Ahadi confronted Scar, calling him a traitor and a liar for spending time with the hyenas. When he attempted to defend himself from his fathers wrath, Ahadi roared, then sharply declared that Scar, or Taka as he used to be known, was no son of his, and that his birthright was forfeit Mufasa was to be the sole heir, the one and only king, just as the previous Kings Law stated.

Scar remembered feeling furious, and accused his father of wanting to do that all along; that he was just waiting for a chance to spite him after getting his hopes up. That way he could give his precious favorite the entire kingdom as originally planned. His father made to attack him, before his brother, Mufasa leaped upon him, tackling Ahadi to the ground. Over the sounds of their scuffling, he heard Mufasa shout at him to leave Pride Rock for a few days, till his father could cool down.

It was as he was as he was making for the Elephant Graveyard that he happened to stumble upon a mother Leopard and her young cubs. In a fury, she attacked him, slashing wildly, tearing his entire left eye clean open. It was that that gave him his scar, and from where he would soon derive his nickname. Stunned, he might well have died were it not for Shenzi, Banzai and Ed managing to knock the mother off him. Scar remembered shouting at them not to hurt her or her cubs; they complied with that, then had angrily berated her for attacking the kings son without any cause or provocation. Of course, that wasn't the way the three worded it, they were far more vulgar, but that is how Scar preferred to remember it.

The leopardess was stunned, and begged that he not inform his father of what she had done. Scar remembered telling her that he was no longer a prince, that his father wouldn't care anyway, and that her words had fallen on deaf ears. He and the three made it back to the hyena den, where they managed to crudely treat the wound on his eye. They laughed, jokingly calling him Scarface for his injury. After that, he explained what had happened, to both their amusement and horror.

Later, after four days, he got word that Mufasa was waiting, at the border. That meant that it was safe to return, and after bidding his friends farewell, he went to meet him. They were still very close, and he was overjoyed to see Mufasa. He remembered seeing a few claw marks, nearly healed by then, and felt terrible that his brother was injured stopping his father from attacking him.

Mufasa said that he didn't regret it, and that father had stopped almost instantly once he realized that it was he who tackled him. He did however express concern for the wound on Scar's eye, and when they made it back Rafiki was able to make sure it didn't grow infected; unfortunately he was to late to prevent a ghastly scar from forming.

Scar thought back to one thing with sorrow, Mufasa informed him that his father didn't mean it when he disowned him, but his birthright was still revoked; Scar remembered the look Mufasa had, how he seemed angry at Ahadi's decision.

It brought Scar sadness now, because it was that day that he made that fateful promise, that Mufasa being heir didn't change anything between them; that he would always be there to lend a helping paw whenever needed. At the time he thought he meant it.

In a sense, he had.

Scar almost chucked at the irony, he was there to lend a paw all right; the very one that was destined to end Mufasa's life. Angrily, he cursed his father. "If it weren't for you, I might have never fallen into such vile darkness and hatred."

He swatted a small rock from in front of him suddenly. "Were it not for you father, Mufasa would still be alive!"-"Your son...my brother..he would be here."

It wasn't long before he realized how ridiculous those thoughts were. His father may have set a lot in motion, but he was hardly the only reason, let alone the primary, that caused Taka to fade away, with Scar stepping in to take his place.

"Then again, I suppose it wasn't entirely your fault..."

Many other things were to blame, but above all, he could have stopped at anytime. But he allowed the darkness, his anger, hatred, and jealously, to control him; all of which created the sense that he had been wronged, those feelings combined gave fuel to a corrupt sense of justice, one that could not be sated without blood and death.

As he reached the water's edge, he took a moment to gaze upon his reflection. What he saw had changed little since he last inspected himself. He was still in the prime of his life, and figured himself a rather impressive looking specimen. Other than his scars. The wounds from the hyenas had largely healed, but he could see where they were, covering large parts of his back and torso; even his legs didn't escape unscathed. As far as appearances went, his nickname suited him more than ever; yet he found it funny, that now of all times he was beginning to grow weary of it. Not that his birth name was any better, 'Scar' at least sounded somewhat respectable, if not a trifle menacing.

Leaning down, he took a deep, long drink, submerging a good portion of his muzzle beneath the murky water. It still tasted a bit stagnant and muddy, but he hardly cared. Pulling his head up, he was suddenly struck in the side of the head by a pebble. It didn't hurt much, but it was definitely irritating.

Instantly he whirled around, snarling loudly at any would be attacker. Oddly enough, he saw no one. "Hmm, very peculiar".

Not wanting to let it bother him, he turned to take another drink. But as he got closer, he noticed something very off about his reflection.

The lion he saw had no scar over his eye, and while it looked a great deal like him, with the black mane and green eyes, it most certainly wasn't. The lion was bigger, stockier, yet still lithe and streamlined. The fur wasn't the deep shade of orange, instead it was golden, like Mufasa's...like their father's.

All of a sudden panic struck Scar. This was no reflection, he was staring into the countenance of his late father. Horrified and a bit angry, he swiped at the surface of the water, sending a foamy spray out across the pond. When the ripples finally ceased, he dared to look back in, expecting to see his father's smiling visage again. Instead, and with no small degree of relief, he saw his own blank face staring back.

Not wanting to spend another second around he accursed pond, he quickly slunk off...making for Pride Rock at rather speedy gait. _That couldn't have been him...he died so long ago...he wouldn't dare haunt me, would he?_

* * *

Simba watched as Scar skulked away from Pride Rock. A part of him wanted to check up on him, to make certain that his uncle was not planning anything underhanded, but he decided against it. There was a small pond in the direction Scar was headed, and it would be easy enough to track him down if he went elsewhere. So Simba decided that he would leave Scar be for the moment, as it was he had more pressing concerns that his uncles whereabouts.

It had been a little over a week since he had came back and ousted Scar from power, and so far he had left a lot of the kingdoms duties up to his mother, Sarabi. The fact of the matter was, he had no idea on how to actually be king. His father was killed before he could even begin the basics of ruling a kingdom, and he had spent the last four years being raised by a gaseous Warthog and a loudmouthed Meerekat. Not that he thought poorly of them, they taught him how to survive as best they could, and he loved them like family for it.

But being king was the polar opposite of the Hakuna Matata lifestyle they raised him under, and already he found himself confused by even simple day to day operations, such as patrolling the borders and settling disputes among the kingdoms many denizens. So far his mother had been picking up most of the slack, but Simba didn't want it to remain that way. She had been through enough, and it was time for him to take his rightful place in life.

That is why he found himself seeking her out, to learn all that she knew from her many years of experience, first as queen to his father and later as adviser to his uncle. He found her lying down inside the den, beside the spot where Mufasa used to sleep.

She smiled when she saw him, the look faltering when she saw his troubled expression. "Is something the matter, son?"

"Well, yes. But not with me directly. It's just-" Simba stopped for a moment, trying to sort all his thoughts out. Finally, he decided to be blunt with it. "I have real idea how this being king thing is supposed to be. Father never had a chance to show me much. But you were his queen, mother. You also advised..."

Simba's face contorted into a frown. "You also advised Scar, but he still managed to ruin everything anyway. Look, what I'm saying is, since my father is gone, there are only you two to teach me. And _he_ is the last one I'd want any advice from."

Sarabi stretched, then moved into a sitting position, joints creaking in the process. "Scar wasn't as terrible a king as what I can only assume most of the other lionesses have been telling you."

Simba turned his head sideways, in a quizzical manner. "What do you mean mother? He caused the drought, and let the hyenas run around freely...didn't he?"

"I won't deny he made a lot of mistakes. And I'm sure this will surprise you, but he really wasn't a bad king. Not till the last few moons of his reign." Sarabi said.

"You might want to sit down, because this might take a bit to explain." she said, with Simba complying. Now more than ever he was truly interested to hear about his uncle.

"As I said, he didn't use to be the way you know him to be. Scar used to be a good lion, noble even. There was a darkness in his heart, and in time it changed him, till be became bitter, and twisted. A shell of his former self. Despite all that, he still started off trying to follow in Mufasa's footsteps. For the longest time, I think his only mistake was allowing an entire hyena clan into the Pridelands. Things were fine for a long time, though there was a lot of fighting between us and them. Eventually some of them started over-hunting, and caused a big stir. But that is a story for another time. Scar did try and keep most of Mufasa's laws. He was also quite attentive to complaints from all the different animals in our kingdom."

She paused to catch her breath. "True, he lacked a lot of Mufasa's compassion, and was often far more blunt, but he was dedicated to his duties. Scar also had a keen mind, and was a very fast thinker. He solved many issues and disputes quick and efficiently, figuring out solutions in a matter of hours, when the same type of problem might have had your father stumped for days. But, something always seemed to be weighing on him, he seemed distant, and often times would fly into a rage for no apparent reason. Whenever your father's name happened to be mentioned, he almost always got very angry, and would immediately demand to be excused from whatever company he was in. Eventually some of the others began comparing him to Mufasa. Not always unfavorably, but he couldn't stand being compared to his brother on anything."

Simba was quite surprised by this. All this time he figured his uncle as little more than a bitter, cruel tyrant of a king. Apparently there was more than one side to everyone. So he continued to wait patiently as his mother talked.

"Eventually, after the drought set in, and some of the hyenas began causing more trouble, Scar started changing. And not for the better. He began to abuse his power, making up ridiculous laws, sometimes for no better reason than to prove that he could do anything he wanted. One day he proclaimed that his brother was never to be mentioned, not in his presence. Scar said that any lioness that broke the law would either be exiled or fed to the hyenas. I don't think he would have ever done that, but with as unstable as he was getting, it was hard to tell if he would ever snap and make good on his threat. Soon, he began neglecting his duties. He stopped marking the borders almost entirely, often leaving it up to the hyenas to do his job for him. The few times he ventured out of his cave were usually to ridicule someone, or to dictate more unreasonable commands. A few times though, I do know for a fact that he went to the gorge. The same place he murdered Mufasa in. He always denied going there though, no matter how obvious it was, or how many witnesses saw him. We were crazy he said, and were imagining things that simply weren't happening."

"It wasn't long before you returned that he made a trip there. A lioness actually confronted him about it. That was the first time he ever raised paw to one of us in anger, though as you know, it wasn't the last." Sarabi ran a paw over the side of her face, the same spot Scar struck.

"You know, despite everything he has done, I cannot bring myself to actually hate him. I don't think I can ever forgive or trust him again, but I do feel some pity for him. Because in hindsight, a lot of his actions do make sense, even if many were petty and cruel. It's obvious, at least now, that he was being tormented inside for what he did to his brother, to my mate. And what he thought he did to you. You probably didn't know this either, but he did have a rough time growing up. But I'll let him choose whether or not he wants to tell you his story."

Simba was beginning to figure that out himself, but was caught a bit off guard that his mother thought the same thing.

She smiled at him, though it was laced with sadness. "I'm not saying you have to forgive him, as that is your decision alone to make. But don't listen to what some of the others say, at least not entirely. You should at least consider having him explain the ways of running a kingdom, because I can only teach you so much. He would be better suited to do that, especially considering he had to learn a lot on his own. His father didn't teach him everything, though for a different reason."

Simba nodded. "Maybe I will take him up on that. He at least owes me that much."

His mother nodded. "Yes. Now, let your mother rest a bit more. I'm going to need all the energy I can get for the hunt later."

"Of course mother." Simba then walked out of the den, and to the promontory. As he looked over his kingdom, he sighed deeply. Soon, he figured, he would go to Scar for advice. The thought made him want to cringe, but he trusted his mothers judgement on it. He knew she wouldn't have suggested he learn anything from Scar unless she truly believed in it.

At least the lands were recovering, and the herds starting to return. But he was still unsure of his own ability to lead the kingdom. He still didn't trust Scar, not really. But from what his mother told him, he was certainly a very complex individual; much more so than Simba had ever thought him to be before. The real question burning in his mind was what could have caused him to become the way he had been. More over, what drove him from being 'noble' as his mother put it, to being so cold and callous as to take his own brothers life. But that was a question for a far later time.

Simba stood at the top for nearly an hour, till he saw a figure on the horizon. Once it got closer, he that it was his uncle. Oddly enough, the older lion seemed very shaken up, almost as if he had seen a ghost. He decided to let it be though for the moment, as he finally went to get some rest himself.


	4. The Gorge

A/N: I apologize for taking three whole weeks to update. But I had a bit of an unfortunate incident with my old laptops power cord nearly catching on fire. Had I not been paying attention at that very moment, it might have done a lot more damage. As it was, I managed to toss the cord outside before it completely burst into flames. The computer probably still works, but with no cord for power, and it being an outdated POS, I decided to decommission it. (Soon, it will meet the business end of some high powered fireworks, but that is another subject altogether.) Until now, I didn't have the money to get a working one. Until yesterday of course.

Because of that, my update schedule for this and my other story was thrown out of what. I, of course, haven't been able to write so far ahead, but I am still uploading this to keep my promise regarding deadlines. But don't expect the next chapter for a bit. The wait won't be as long as this chapter, but it will probably be more than the 6-10 day norm. More along the lines of a week and a half to two weeks. Unless I get a burst of inspiration and write a crap ton (i.e. several thousand words.) in the next few days of course. After all, I still aim to keep a good 2-3 chapters ahead of what everyone else is reading.

To the reviews:

Emerald dreamer96: Yes, that is what I intend to do. I want to show the good and bad in everyone, unlike what Disney did in the movie (Showing that Scar can be more than just a great villain for starters.). Yes, even Simba, Mufasa and the like aren't perfect. Mistakes were made by all parties a great many times.

IhateMarySue'sSoooooMuch: Thank you.

Sir-Anathema: Glad to know you liked it. Not to sound arrogant, but I do consider my writing to be better than a lot of the stuff that populates this fandom. Not the best, probably not by a long shot, but at least standing on solid middle ground between the best and the worst.

* * *

Early the next day, Simba decided to do something that he had been neglecting ever since he returned. Not that he didn't have good enough reason, considering that he still had nightmares about it. But he decided that now was the time to face his fears, and confront yet another aspect of his past head on.

The Gorge was where his father met a gruesome end, and where he too was nearly killed. First by the stampede, and then nearly being devoured by hyena's.

Each footfall brought him one step closer to the place, and he felt his apprehension slowly rising.

Finally he reached the spot his father fell, or at least what he presumed to be the spot. Yet nothing. No remains, no bones, nothing but rock, sand and the odd bit of shrubbery.

"Father...seems nothing really is left of you now." he said the first part with sadness, as a few stray tears fell from his eyes, the parched ground quickly sucking up even those. Then anger, which he voiced through a low growl.

"Would Scar really have done that...did he hate you so much that he left you for the jackals?"-"Not even decent enough to give the brother he killed a proper burial..."

"Do you really think even I would be so disrespectful as to neglect the dead?" Scar spat out. Simba hadn't heard his uncle stalking towards him before, being too caught up in his own thoughts and worries. Instantly he whirled around, a snarl threatening to escape from his throat.

Scar didn't seem fazed by it. "For your information, you over-sized throw rug, I did bury him. Personally. I drug his body back to Pride Rock, then buried him myself, next to the grave of our father."

Simba stopped baring his teeth, as he took in that information. Finally he spoke. "It wouldn't have surprised me if you had left him here to rot. Considering how little respect you showed to him by taking his life, why should I have expected otherwise with you in dealing with his body?"

For some reason Simba felt as if he had been a bit harsh in his choice of words. Especially considering how often he had reminded his uncle of that sordid deed. Not that Scar didn't deserve it, but Simba knew that by doing so he could very well cause his uncle to turn against him again. He also noticed that Scar deeply regretted that which he had done, so constantly hammering into his head his crimes was probably not the best approach.

Simba was then met with yet another surprise. He had expected Scar to snap back at him with some sort of retort, or to at least storm off in a fury. But he did neither. Instead, he was downcast, starring at the ground while he shuffled his front paws, much like a nervous cub would. Upon a closer inspection, Simba saw tears threatening to form in his uncles eyes. A single one managed to trail down from his scarred eye, and down his muzzle to the ground below.

That certainly surprised the young king, who had never even guessed that his uncle even possessed the ability to show such emotion. Even when Simba was a cub, he could never recall seeing Scar upset over anything. He always seemed angry and cynical, or at least stoic and contemplative.

Instead Simba did something that even surprised himself. He actually walked towards his uncle, and placed a paw upon the elders shoulder.

The touch caused Scar to flinch, and a growl to nearly escape his throat. For a moment he even considered ripping into Simba, if only to get him to keep his paws to himself. But Scar realized that doing so was foolish. He wasn't even fully healed, and doing so would no doubt get him and possibly Nuka exiled. And while he welcomed the thought of seeing Kovu and Vitani again, Zira he wasn't so sure about. True, he did care for her, enough to take her as a mate. But he wasn't sure if he truly loved her, or if he did it simply so he could keep with tradition and have a proper queen. Likewise, he wasn't entirely convinced whether it was him she loved, or if she just enjoyed the power and prestige that came with being his mate.

Her callous attitude to Mufasa's murder was both troubling and irksome to him. Of course, he knew he was the last lion to have any right to be angry with her, since he was the one who killed him, but it didn't keep him from dwelling on it. Not once did he dare mention to anyone, not even her, how he really assumed the throne. He didn't trust anyone, not even one he considered a potential mate at the time, and who later go on to become his queen. When Simba told her her, that was the first time she had heard the truth on Scar's rise to power, yet she didn't seem to bat an eye. Which was unnerving to Scar, and the real reason why he didn't raise a whisper of protest at her exile, much as it troubled him.

The entire shift in Scar's mood wasn't something Simba could ignore, but he didn't remove his paw. For some reason, it felt appropriate to comfort Scar, even if he was the one responsible for his fathers untimely death. Simba was beginning to see that Scar was, and had been suffering at least as much as he himself; possibly even more so now, considering he still had to live with what he had done, in the understanding that nothing could ever undo it, nor ever truly mend the scars left in everyone's hearts once his sordid act became public knowledge.

They sat like that for the better part of an hour, in silent respect. After a few moments Simba removed his paw, mostly because it was uncomfortable to leave it in such a position for long.

Finally, Simba finally found the words to ask Scar a question, one he had wanted to ask the moment he saw such a display of emotion from his uncle.

"Hey, Scar, can I ask you a question?" Simba said.

Scar grumbled to himself for a moment, but then nodded his head. "Oh...I suppose, but do make it quick. I would prefer to be out of this place before the sun starts to go down...tends to get dark down here rather quickly you see."

For some reason, Scar seemed nervous, but Simba put asking about that aside for the moment. "I was wondering something, this is the first time I've ever known you to show feeling so...openly...is this the first time since, you know, that you every shed tears for what you had done?"

Scar was taken aback at how brazen Simba had been, and how he got straight to the point. Part of him wanted to tell Simba off, that he had no business asking that of him. But he knew he owed Simba, if nothing else, some form of honest answer.

"Simba, that is a difficult question to answer...but I figure telling you the truth for once wouldn't hurt me. So to actually answer that, yes, I have. When I buried your father, I did weep. I had been so caught up in gloating over his corpse, something I am ashamed to admit now, that it came out of nowhere. I found myself spilling my regrets, and begging him not to hate me. No one was around to hear me, and I never spoke of it to anyone, until now. There was, also, a time that I went out to the gorge. I don't know what possessed me to do so, but every so often I would feel this urge, this compulsion to come back to this wretched place. Normally I came here merely to spout off curses to the heaven, to air out some of the madness I felt creeping on."

Scar laughed sadly. " But, the last time I came here, it was mere days before you returned. I came here to shout my frustrations, and instead I wept, yet again, like a damned cub. As with the first time, I hadn't the faintest idea what came over me. Now I suspect that it was repressed guilt...all the skeletons I had locked away finally coming out to haunt me."

Simba nodded, acknowledging Scar's words. "I, I don't doubt you...but I'm sure you understand how difficult it is to comprehend you doing all that."

"Indeed." Scar said with a nervous tone. "But, as I said, we really should be leaving soon. No telling what comes out after dark around this place."

Simba started to shake his head in affirmation, but was stopped at the sound of laughter. No, cackling. Hyenas, and a lot more than one. Both Simba and Scar whirled around, snarling, as they saw just over half a dozen silhouettes come stalking out of the shadows. Simba bared his teeth in a threatening manner. Scar on the other hand, was shaking in barely restrained rage. The younger lion suspected that Scar knew who these scavengers were, and made a point to ask him about it once they got out of the situation. At the moment, he himself was outraged. While he had not formally banished the entire species, Simba had made it clear that he didn't want them anywhere near Pride Rock. Yet they were this close, and by their manner and posture, seemed as if they intended on picking a fight.

The fact that they wanted a fight seemed poorly thought out on their part. While the hyenas outnumbered them seven to two, against two adult males, they stood little chance. For a moment, Simba began to suspect that maybe this was a setup by Scar, but discarded that thought the moment the leader spoke.

He had a slightly raspy voice, and an accent similar to that one female hyena, the leader whose name Simba couldn't place. His manner of speech seemed more refined, yet it contained a hint of madness, the combination of which was more than enough to raise the hairs down Simba's spine.

"So, long time no see _Scar_. Tell me, hows your other son doin. Ya know, the 'special' one." he drawled out. It was then Simba noticed another thing. The number of scars on the males body, far more than even his uncle had. One ear was missing, and he seemed to favor his left rear leg.

Scar growled loudly. "You, and the rest of those traitorous vermin aren't welcome here. I thought that was made clear when your little army was ripped to bloody pieces and scattered across the savanna."-"In fact, Licha, you have some nerve to dare show your face here. All you did was sign your own death warrant, you stupid, inbred mongrel."

The hyena, Licha chuckled. "Now now, Scar. Ya don't even know what we're here for. Tell ya what, I'll keep it real simple for ya, this'll jus' take a second."

"We are takin over, plain an' simple. You ain't our king, neva was. It don't matta none than you broughta friend, he can watch ya die fore' we kill him ourselves."

Simba laughed, full of confidence and bravado. "Hate to break it to you, but Scar isn't king anymore. I am." Scar glared icily at his nephew, a look the younger lion missed entirely. "But if you want to challenge me, go for it. You have numbers, but between me and my uncle, I don't think you guys stand a chance. So why not just leave in peace."

Laughter, demented frantic laughter. None louder than the one who had just spoken to Scar.

"Man, you mus' be even stupider than him if you're thinkin it's just us." As if on cue, two distinct roars were heard. And over the edge of a cliff facing walked two leopards. Both male, both almost the size of a lioness, except bulkier, with more muscle tone.

"See, we brought ourselves a few friends to the party. It don' matta none that you ain't king Scar. All that does counts is that a king dies. Then after we wipe out the rest of you stinkin lions, these pridelands are ours."

Three hyenas made for Scar almost instantly. Scar snarled, then batted one to the ground, fracturing one of it's legs in the process. This was no game, no mental manipulation for Scar. Before either of them could sink their teeth in, they were on the ground, bleeding from several deep gouges from Scar's claws. The first one he had struck climbed to its feet, and made a clumsy attempt to lunge at him, but before it could go more than a couple steps his teeth were at its throat. A single jerking motion and Scar felt its life blood gush out, and he was tempted to savor the salty metallic taste, but knew better than to do so. As a stream trickled from his jaw, he turned his attention to his other two attackers.

One had a limp, but seemed hesitant on whether it wanted to continue the fight. The other bared its teeth, and tried circling around Scar, to attack his flank, the lion spun, and slammed a paw straight down, shattering it's spinal column. The other was trying to run, but was only managing a drunken stagger. He was about to finish it off, when he heard roaring and growling from in front of him.

He looked and saw one hyena on the ground, barely moving, but still alive. The other was latched on to Simba's mane, the inexperienced lion struggling to throw it off. Finally he managed to club it over the head with a paw, it's grip slackening; he then grabbed it by the throat and slung it off into a rock pile, where it gave a final yelp, before falling still.

Scar then heard more snarling, and Simba started backing up. Both leopards were blocking any chance of escape, cornering Simba. One on one a leopard was little match for a grown lion, but Simba was facing down two, both of which were huge by the standard of their species. Topping it off, he was a terrible fighter, which meant he really had no chance.

Scar took a closer look at those two spotted felines, noticing that they looked awfully familiar. Very much like a certain female, that had given him his namesake in a misguided endeavor to protect her two cubs. These two looked young, probably no more than a year or two older than Simba.

"No, it couldn't be..." Scar muttered, as he traced the outline of his scar with a single claw.

An idea struck him. All the hyena's had either been killed, or had fled, save two. One of those was mortally wounded, and Licha wouldn't stand a chance by himself. Those leopards might not have any desire or ambition for power, and could be dealt with if they did...so perhaps this was any opportunity. The gears in Scar's mind started turning at the possibilities; he could easily leave Simba to his own devices, and kill the remaining hyenas.

Those two would no doubt kill his nephew. So all he would have to do would be to make up some sad story, about how he and Simba went to pay their respects, and were ambushed. Sadly, Simba didn't make it, but he, Scar, did. The only scent Simba's body would have would be leopard, and they would still be wounded after a scuffle with a grown male, so all the lionesses would have to do is follow the scent trail to its source, once he accurately pinned the murder on them of course.

Then if all went well, he could be back in power in a matter of hours. Scar shook his head, more out of disgust with himself than anything. Forget everything that could go wrong, forget the fact that he was a known manipulator, a known murderer; forget that the lionesses would never believe such tripe, and would probably gut him on the spot. Forget all that could go awry. The thought was, illogical, reproachable even. How could he think of doing that at this point, what would it prove?

Nothing. It would only confirm what so many thought he was; a fiend, a tyrant, deserving of nothing but death.

He was then distracted by a shout, coming from Simba's direction.

"Uncle...Scar, please...help me!"

The wording, almost identical to, to...

_"Scar, brother, please...help me!"  
_

That was it. He had to do something. Not again, even if he didn't do it himself, it would still be a form of murder if he stood idly by and watched as they tore his nephew apart. That would not be his legacy; plus Simba did save his life...so he did owe him the same after all that he had put him through.

Scar roared, then charged toward the three. They were just about to pile on top of Simba, but were startled by the ferocity of his uncles roar.

The black maned lion smashed into the larger of the two males, tackling him to the ground.

The leopard growled at him fiercely as it threw Scar off. "Well, well, if it isn't the tyrant king himself. Of course, you're really not much of a king are you? _Prince Taka the Scarred_."

The two jumped at each other, biting, slashing and crawling wildly. His opponent was strong, probably at least as strong as any lioness, but despite the way he portrayed himself, Scar was no weakling. Not even for a lion, he simply preferred to avoid a fight if he could help it. Right away it was apparent that Scar had an advantage, his blows fell swifter and harder than his opponents, and his mane protected him from the others teeth. In just over a minute he delivered a particularly powerful swipe to the side of the spotted felines head, sending him sprawling to the ground in a daze.

Simba had managed to pin his opponent to the ground, with the leopard looking absolutely terrified.

Scar managed to catch the last few words. "...and if you ever come near me, or any of my family again, I will rip you to pieces. Now go!" one final roar, and he allowed the other to go free. A stupid move in Scar's opinion but he didn't get the chance to berate his nephew, before a weight slammed into him. The next thing he knew, he was pinned to the ground, with a glaring Licha almost nose to nose with him.

Before the demented hyena had a chance to do any damage, a paw crashed into the back of his head. Over he fell, with a stream of blood oozing from the back of his head.

"Simba I..." but his nephew cut him off. " Actually, I should be thanking you Scar. I would have been done for back there...you didn't have to do that...you could have cut your losses and ran. But you saved me..."

_Oh, if only you knew what I really had been thinking..._Scar shook his head. "There'll be none of that. I was merely repaying the favor after all."

Suddenly a movement caught Scar's eye. "Oh, what do we have here?"

He strode over to the hyena that Simba injured. It was struggling to move, but if left on it's own it just might survive. But not if Scar had any say. "Kikatili, what a surprise to see you here...alive."

Then, he leaned into Kikatili's ear. "I know it was you. Don't bother denying it." then Scar raised his voice as he wrapped a paw around the hapless hyena's throat, "Murderer, you took him, you took my son. Now, you get to feel the same thing my son did. See you in hell, vermin."

He extended his claws, and cut across its throat, first its windpipe then the jugular were severed; all it managed were a few gurgles before the life left its eyes.

Simba, however hadn't heard a word that was said. And instead of looking relieved, he seemed angry at what Scar had done.

"You want me to think you deserve a chance, then you go and do something like that! He was helpless Scar, you didn't have to kill him!" That was it.

No sooner than the word leave Simba's mouth that he realized his mistake. Scar tackled him, and used his paws to pin his larger nephew in place. Simba made to growl in protest, but a louder one from Scar silenced him.

"You ignorant, mewling, naive, bloody fool!" he roared, teeth gleaming inches from Simba's face. And his throat.

"You have no right, no right to speak of matters that you have no knowledge of!"-"You say that he was helpless, defenseless even? I beg to differ _dear_ nephew, how could a being as helpless as you claim him to be, have it in him to murder a defenseless cub...my cub...my son...Nuka's twin brother."

* * *

To be continued...


	5. Scars We Bare

A/N: Ok, so I was wrong. I found a bigger burst of inspiration that what I expected. Now I can safely say that Chapter 6 is done too, and I'm almost a third of the way through number 7. I probably won't post 6 though till I'm a long way into number 8 though. The whole staying ahead of the curve thing.

Pleasantly surprised by the number of reviews only four chapters in. For a while it almost looked like I was keeping up with Haradion's second story, but then he had to go an upload that blasted 5th chapter, leaving me in the dust once more. This is in jest of course, as I find his stories to be fantastic.

Emerald dreamer96 : Thanks for that. Compared to writing for DBZ, TLK fight scenes are a walk in the park. And yes, Scar is changing. But he still isn't free of his darkness, but he is improving. And correct about Simba. If you ask me, I'm allowing Scar to let him off a bit too easy, but it would ruin my plot of he killed/maimed his nephew, now wouldn't it lol?

Haradion: Speak of the devil and he shall appear. And yes, that is a subtle reference to Ammit as well, from your first story. Correct about that effecting Scar. Losing his son definitely didn't help him, but it damaged Zira lot more. Chapter 6 will touch upon that more, and later ones will explore it in depth. Glad to know you like my story, considering I consider you another great writer on this fandom.

Sir-Anathema: Thanks for pointing out that odd nuance of the English language. My wife also pointed it out to me in this and my DBZ story, and I have been working to fix the issue whenever I see it. Guess it is beneficial to have a wife that writes on as well. The fact that you find the rest of the story to be good is very nice as well.

Twin: Good to hear that. Last thing I wanted was to sound arrogant or elitist lol.

Before I forget, here are the translations for all my OC's:

Shaka: Doubt

Shida: Trouble, or problems.

Licha: Spite

Furaha: Joy, happiness.

Kikatili: Cruel, brutal

Ujasiri: Courage, confidence.

* * *

"You have no right, no right to speak of matters that you have no knowledge of!"-"You say that he was helpless, defenseless even? I beg to differ _dear_ nephew, how could a being as helpless as you claim him to be, have it in him to murder a defenseless cub...my cub...my son...Nuka's twin brother."

Scar's voiced cracked, and he released Simba as a few more tears spilled from his eyes. This time, he made no effort to conceal them.

Simba, was stunned. Nuka, the ratty little cub had a brother? Or used to at least. Now he understood, and the young king couldn't have felt more ashamed. Not that Scar had exactly been forthcoming with details, but with something that painful, who could blame him?

And he had unwittingly added hot coals to an freshly opened wound. He shouldn't have jumped on Scar, not without asking why. Then this could have been avoided. How could he expect to rule a kingdom when he was so quick to pass judgment like this?

For a moment, his thoughts turned to Zira and the others. Had he been to rash with that too? She did, along with two other lionesses, assault him and his mate, but she also had cubs. Certainly that should have been a mitigating factor, along with the trauma of seeing her own mate go from king to common rabble in a single day. But the damage was done, and he knew he would be hard pressed to find a way to fix it.

Simba saw his uncle stumble, and at first thought it was purely from his emotions. But then he realized something. He still hadn't fully recovered from the hyena attack at Pride Rock, and this altercation probably did not help matters. Moving a bit closer, Simba was relieved to see that none of Scar's wounds had reopened. But he figured it best that they head back to Pride Rock, and for someone to get Rafiki, just in case.

But in the meantime, he knew he owned Scar some form of apology. Killer, murderer of kin he may have been, but now Simba could see that they now had something else in common. Both had a loved one ripped from them, brutally, without mercy. One was a son who lost a father, another a father who lost a son. Simba didn't want to dare think which was worse.

"Scar." his uncle turned at the sound of his name. Or rather, his alias. "I was wrong. I..didn't know your reasoning, and was too quick in judging your actions...what does that say about me, what kind of king will I be if I can't even think beyond what is right in front of me?"

The scarred lion winced, at how much his body was hurting. The prior wounds hadn't tore, mercifully, but he suspected he may have strained himself too much. He looked at his nephew, at first with anger, then...dare he say it, sympathy.

"You couldn't have known. I never mentioned it, oh, the others knew of course, but so many focused on the kingdoms other woes to linger on it for long." Scar said morosely. Then, a bit of rage flared up, and he smacked some stones with his paw, sending them clattering across the bottom of the canyon.

"I shouldn't have struck out at you like I did, but that is a rather, sore subject. You have lost a close family member, no thanks to me, so I'm sure you understand better than most how it feels to have them ripped out of your life, forever." The rage cooled, and Scar shook his head. "Maybe it's justice, something to do with that Circle of Life drivel, or maybe pure coincidence. Oddly, I doubt the latter...I would go so far as to say it's my penance, an eye for an eye if you will. I took someone from you, and the rest of the pride, and in turn the same was taken from me."

Simba shook out his mane, sending a small cloud of dust flying about. "Maybe so...but even if you deserved it, the cub did not. He was innocent. He should have never been forced to pay for the sins of his father. I...I can't say that what you did to that murderous hyena was wrong, not after knowing that. If that had been my cub..." Simba growled, not wanting to consider the thought. Especially if what he suspected was true. He recalled too well the ' alone time' he had spent with Nala, before she tried to convince him to return home.

"Indeed. He would have been my heir. Well, he and Nuka if they both proved themselves capable." Scar mused sadly.

Simba tilted his head in a confused manner. "Wait, I thought only one king could rule...how could that be possible?"

"Oh, if only you knew, nephew. If only...were it not for my father's decision, your father and I would have ruled together. How different it all could have been. But, now is not the time for such talk. We should head back now, it's already getting dark...we might have half an hour of daylight at most."

Simba merely nodded his head. Normally Pride Rock was a short walk, no more than ten minutes or so from the Gorge. But Simba had to keep pace with his uncle, who was walking slower than usual, with a slight limp.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Simba remembered something. He wanted answers, exactly, how much did Scar know about those hyena's back their, and why they were so hostile to him. The young adult remembered something his mother said, about a bunch of hyena's causing a stir, and figured that these might have been part of that group.

Carefully, he broached the subject. "So, I was wondering something. What exactly was the deal with those, scavengers back in the gorge?" -"I mean, mother did mention to me that some of them caused some problems here, and I was wondering how bad it really was."

The elder groaned. "How typical of Sarabi to downplay that. Then again, with all she has gone through, I can hardly blame her for not discussing something so...painful to her." his brow furrowed, and his teeth clicked a few times before he continued, "But yes, to say they caused 'problems' would be a radical understatement."

"After I assumed the throne, I allowed the hyenas into the Pridelands. That you already knew. It was part of an agreement I had reached with them. Had I not done so, I have no doubt that they would have divulged my little...secret, to the lionesses."

Simba listened, and bit back his own tongue, to keep from spouting off any hurtful remarks. Even though he felt Scar had a lot more to do to prove himself, now wasn't the time for those comments.

"All went well enough. At least for quite some time. Oh, there were problems, fights to be sure. Territory, food, water, you name it. But I was always able to keep a handle on the situation, to keep everything from spiraling out of control. Shenzi and the others helped, of course. She was the matriarch, the leader of the entire clan. You probably know her better as the one who taunted you in the graveyard, about that pitiful roar you had as a cub."

Simba growled in annoyance. So that was her name.

"Now, the clan that I invited it, was much larger than a typical hyena clan. For good reason, considering food and territory were so hard to come by, a coalition was formed from several smaller clans. Shenzi's mother was the matriarch of one of those clans, and her aunt leader of another. So it should not be a surprise that she was chosen as leader. It did help that she was probably the fiercest fighter out of all of them, out of any hyena that I've ever ran across in fact."

Scar sighed, and paused for a moment. Thinking about this brought back so many other memories. The one that stood out the most was when he nearly died because of them. A part of him wanted to rip out their throats, yet at the same time, he knew he was just as much at fault, by trying to blame them for Mufasa's death. And that was one time Shenzi would have had to back down and give into her clans demands. They had given so much, and suffered greatly for his sake, and if Shenzi had supported Scar, and attempted to order them not to devour him, she would have probably found herself becoming an appetizer.

Still, he realized he was getting distracted from the story. "But, to the main point Simba. For the most part, things went smoothly enough, other than the odd spat here and there. But their were some hyenas, that didn't like the way things were ran. Some, simply thought that they should be in charge. Not us lions. There were a few among their ranks that took it a step further, that wanted nothing short of genocide on our entire species. Then, there were others who disliked, and resented the social structure that hyenas operated on. They are the opposite of us lions, in that the females are often stronger, and are always in charge. But these thought otherwise, that the males should be dominant, like in so many other species."

He stopped talking, and snorted. "Trust me, Shenzi often heard whispers, but she never thought it would get so out of control so quickly. And it might not have, had a single individual not arisen to unite all those dissident factions. Licha."

Simba recognized that name, as the one who had attempted to ambush them only moments ago.

"For the longest time, they kept the majority of their thoughts and ambitions under wraps. Once Licha had consolidated enough power, and had enough loyal followers, he put his plan into action. He told Shenzi that he was heading out, to the edges of the Pridelands, in search of prey. He also told her that he was taking a fair number of individuals with him. To this day, I have no idea why she allowed that, or why she didn't think something was up, but it is of no consequence now that the matter is over."

"At any rate, she did allow it, obviously. Back then, the clan numbered just under eighty; Licha took about thirty with him. A massive number by any stretch, especially for the Pridelands to support. Which is why I dictated that they must still abide by the old hunting laws, and that they were to seek food from area's outside the boundaries. Most complied with that. But those that followed Licha were ones that I and Shenzi always had trouble with. When that collection failed to return to the main hyena den after several weeks, both Shenzi and I suspected that something was amiss."

"I suspect, that during that time they were scouting for a new den, a base of operations if you will. But after nearly two moons of no contact, and little sign of there whereabouts, it started. Small things, such as defilement of some of the water holes, and certain herds being hunted more often. Eventually they began getting bolder, and began attacking the prey species not just for food, but for sport as well. They also began soiling the grasslands, digging up foliage that animals like Zebra and Wildebeest depended on for sustenance. Whatever they didn't dig up, they soiled with their own waste. With the drought already impacting things, the antics of those rogue hyenas only exacerbated the problem. I, at that point was growing apathetic, and increasingly paranoid of the lionesses, and did little to investigate, despite Shenzi pleading, and later demanding, that I do something to help remedy the situation."

"Soon, they started harassing the lionesses, and even other hyenas when a kill was made, which at that point wasn't often. Most of the lionesses blamed me for it, just like they blamed me for the drought and the herds leaving...even your precious Nala opted to stand back with the crowd and point the proverbial finger. As if a single being could truly cause such catastrophe. At that point I did begin to take matters a little more seriously, though I admit there was so much more I could have done. By the time I realized the degree which we, mostly I, had underestimated the threat, it was too late to avert the tragedy that came next."

Scar stopped walking, and roared in anger. "Those rotten, disgusting mongrels. They had no right, no right at all to do as they did, after all that I did for them. I lived up to my end of the bargain, but they weren't content with just that. Oh no, they wanted so much more."

He dug his front claws into the earth, before resuming his stride. By that point they had scaled the walls of the canyon, and were well within sight of Pride Rock.

"Nearly all of the lionesses were out hunting. I was busy patrolling the borders, with Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. Normally I went alone, but they convinced me that it wasn't a good idea to do so. How right they were. There were only a couple lionesses at Priderock, with a few token hyena sentries, to watch the cubs and pups. Zira was one of those, and she was heavily pregnant with Vitani at the time. But Licha, with nearly a dozen of his closest followers had eyes and ears on the savanna, and were aware of just how vulnerable those few at Priderock were."

Scar's voice turned cold, bitter. "Right at sunset, they attacked. In a matter of seconds they had managed to kill one of the sentries, with the other one barely escaping with her life. Zira, out of fear for her cubs confronted the invaders with only a single lioness to back her up. Ujasiri. She was one of the older lionesses, but was very strong in her age. She was also like a second mother to me, after my own passed. She..." he paused, snarling in rage,..."she didn't make it. She sacrificed herself, so that Zira and our unborn cub might live. As it was, she still very nearly lost the cub, as well as her own life. Ujasiri managed to take out the four hyenas that had Zira surrounded. Zira made for the main den, just as the rest of the lot had located it. She arrived just in time to see Kikatili tear into Furaha."

Scar paused, as he fought back the waves of anger, and grief. "Furaha was Nuka's litter-mate, the first born. Not that the order mattered to me...Zira had apparently tackled him off, and was about to finish the job when she heard more hyenas. They had already killed several of the hyena's pups; and some of the older cubs that had tried to fight back were also killed, lying broken and bleeding in the cave. By the skin of her teeth, she managed to prevent Nuka from sharing the same fate, but was pulled down by several more hyenas. Before they could finish her off, several hyenas, loyal to Shenzi swarmed in around Priderock. At their backs were several lionesses, mothers who weren't far out on the hunt. Licha panicked, and ordered a retreat. He, Kikatili, and one other escaped. The rest, were killed on the spot. Save for one."

Scar smiled. It was a sick, twisted smile, very reminiscent of the one he had given Simba when the latter had been hanging from Priderock. It was unnerving, and it took all of Simba's willpower not to slap the look off of his uncles face.

"Very soon after, I, with those three in tow, returned. And make no mistake, I made certain that we tortured that prisoner, in horrific of ways before he died. But, we did manage to pump a lot of information out of him before I let the others rip him, literally, limb from limb. We found out where their primary den was, and to my surprise, I found that it was just west of the Elephant Graveyard, just past the border. I suppose, in retrospect it shouldn't have been all that shocking that they would have chosen that as a location, but I digress, hindsight truly is twenty twenty."

Simba listened on. While he couldn't condone the methods Scar had used, at the same time, they weren't exactly unjustified. Why no one else had told him of these events agitated the younger male. Something like this should have been one of the first things that he be made aware of. Scar wasn't done speaking, and Simba knew it was for the best if he kept paying attention instead of getting lost in thought.

"After that, Shenzi and I began formulating a plan. We didn't wish to simply march in, and attack them on their own turf. Much as the prospect for immediate revenge appealed to me and many others, it would have been foolhardy to fight them in their element. Especially considering that they would have had every reason to expect us to do that. We also had to wait, till after Zira had Vitani, since she wanted revenge as well. Instead, we began weeding out the spies that they had planted. Most were smaller animals, moles, vultures and the like. Those were either banished, put to death, or converted, through either reward or threat, to our side."

The smile returned, somehow looking even more sinister than before. But the look in Scar's eyes told a different story...there was a sadness hidden behind the sadistic expression he was giving. "We fed them false information, made them think that we were far more vulnerable than they thought. That we were suffering from infighting, between lion and hyena. I'm sure, being the impulsive, insipid clod that he was, that Licha ate this up. Because not long after, we got word that he, and his army were marching en mass, to take the Pridelands by force. Shenzi, Sarabi, and myself set up a strategic choke point in which the terrain would work more to an attackers advantage than anything else. It was just east of the Graveyard, on the edge of the savanna, all the tall grass there works wonders for an ambush."

"We had hyenas in hiding, south of the graveyard. Slowly, they moved in behind, to box in Licha and his army. In the grass, on either side, there were a great many others, to flank his group and keep them from reacting appropriately. Then, with the remaining hyenas, roughly thirty five strong, and backed up by ten of the strongest lionesses, we waited for them, hidden by the grass. Those on either side did their job marvelously, striking out at the stragglers in his army, making them all suspect an attack was coming from the rear. As soon as they were within fifty yards, we roared loudly, lion and hyena. They stopped, in shock, and we rushed in. It was nothing short of a slaughter. Nearly fifty hyena's, with ten lionesses, against less than thirty hyena's doesn't make for much of a battle. And that is not even considering the element of surprise we had on them. We decimated them, with the only survivors being some of those you saw today."

"Our causalities only involved three hyenas, and a lioness. It's also where Zira got that notch taken out of her ear. Their deaths were saddening, but a crushing victory was achieved. I hoped that the few that did survive weren't Licha or Kikatili, but that was obviously wrong. But now they are dead, which is what is important to me now."

"However, only four hyenas escaped that battle. So apparently he managed to recruit a few others. How or where, I do not know, and that is perhaps the most confounding thing of all. Then there is the matter of those leopards..." Scar said, deep in thought.

Simba sighed."Actually, I got to the bottom of that while you were fighting off the other one. Apparently, they had no desire for power. They simply thought you deserved to pay for your crimes, and they only sided with those hyenas because of the extra numbers they offered. Not that I completely disagreed with that notion.." Scar growled audibly, "But they did go about it completely wrong. So I told that one to never come near me, or any of my family ever again."

"Yes, how noble of you. And trusting, to a very stupid degree. Just like your father." Scar said, and this time it was Simba's turn to growl. Scar merely raised a brow in amusement.

He did however, think it prudent to remind the new king to take a few measures, to be safe. "The past has taught me a great many things, nephew. Considering that we do not know exactly how many other supporters Licha might have had lying in the shadows, I think it best that we take some extra precautions."

Simba nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think you're right with that. But what exactly?"

Scar ran a paw across his face, making no effort to hide his annoyance. "And you're not exactly the most quick-witted lion I've met, another trait your father seemed to pass on to you." Scar noticed the look that Simba gave him, and rolled his eyes, "Temper, nephew, temper. That was another of his charming attributes. But relax, I wasn't calling him stupid. Quite the contrary, Mufasa was a very wise lion. But his manner of thinking was very different from my own. He was methodical, often over thinking his problems to such a degree that made them more difficult than what they truly were."

"Now then, what I propose is quite simple. No one, be it a lioness or one of us, should ever go out completely on their own. Either we go together, or with two lionesses. Lionesses should travel in groups no less than five. After dark, preferably they would stay put, but if something imperative were to come up, at least seven of them. There should also be at least five on hand at Priderock, to protect the cubs. I do not want a repeat of that incident. Speaking of the little balls of fur, none of them should ever go out of sight of an adult, period. Even the older ones would do well to remember that."

Scar paused for a moment. "If, for any circumstance any cub has to leave, they should be accompanied by at least one of us. Do you agree with all of this Simba, or have I simply been wasting my breath on a whelp that can't be bothered to take some 'advice'?"

Simba narrowed his eyes, but didn't respond right away. He didn't appreciate his uncles tone, but he knew that Scar was right. Precautions had to be taken, to prevent anything like that from ever happening again. Even if the measures seemed extreme, he knew his mother and Nala would help the others come to an understanding. His thoughts drifted back to his new queen. She had been quite angry with him for saving Scar's life. Not as much as some of the others, but she still made no effort to hide her distaste with his actions. Not that he could really blame her...Scar had greatly wronged nearly every member of the pride in some way shape or form.

But, he could see that his uncle was not as bad as he had seemed. Yes, he had killed his father, and stole his birth right. When he returned, Scar had played games with his head, trying to make everyone think he was the one to blame, before attempting to kill him himself. Even when he had given Scar a chance to run, he spurned it by tossing coals into his eyes and again trying to kill him. Forgiving Scar was going to be the greatest challenge of his entire reign, if not his life, but he was becoming more and more convinced that one day he would be able to. The lion was showing a side the red maned lion could have never fathomed in the past, that he could be more than just a cold hearted monster. Still, he was wary of him. Part of him was afraid that he might snap one day, and go back to being exactly how he was before. It wasn't out of the question, considering how much his personality seemed to shift between the time they fought on the summit of Pride Rock and when he rescued him from the hyenas.

That was seeming less likely, but it was still a fear of his. One that he wasn't sure he would ever completely overcome.

Simba then realized that he hadn't even responded to what Scar had said, and that Scar was starring at him with an irritated expression adorning his face.

The older male snorted. "Well, are you going to say something, or just keep starring off into space like some slack jawed idiot?"

Simba muttered underneath his breath, before nodding his head. "Yeah, I think you're right. Don't start thinking that this means I'm going to start taking orders from you or anything like that...but I don't want to take any chances of anyone getting hurt."

Scar smiled ruefully. "But of course Simba. I wouldn't dream of challenging your authority."

Simba shook his head at his uncles sarcasm. "Don't think this means I'm going to trust you yet, if you do anything to harm anyone in the pride, I will not hesitate to finish what I started before...am I making myself clear?"

Scar laughed. "Clearly you and I aren't recalling the same incident...because the way I remember it, had you not thrown me off that wretched cliff, I would have ripped your throat out."

Simba snarled aggressively, before reigning in his temper. "You got lucky _uncle_, nothing more." His tone became a touch bitter as he said the word that identified their familial relation, but Scar paid it little mind.

"Don't confuse the ability to fight competently with luck, because you only posses the later of those two traits. The only thing involving luck was you managing to throw me down to the bottom of Pride Rock. I do suppose it was fortunate that battle ended the way it did...for both of us..." Scar trailed off, face contorted into a vague frown.

Simba didn't say another word, instead he welcomed the silence. It seemed odd to him though that Scar viewed the outcome of their altercation as a good thing, considering his uncle was seconds away from being devoured by all those hyenas before he rescued him. Then again, something about that whole thing allowed not just Scar, but himself as well, to see things from an entirely different perspective.

The challenge was going to be getting the rest of the pride to reach the same level of understanding.


	6. A Sense of Hope

A/N: Not a lot to add this time around. Finished Chapter 7 and am about to start on #8. I do find it hilarious how fast this story is catching up to my DBZ story as far as chapter count goes, since that one has been around for over a year now. But I suspect it will be a long time before this one overtakes it in word count.

This one is a bit shorter, but only compared to the last two. More than likely they will average between 3,000 and 4,000. A few might be over or under of course.

To the reviews:

Emerald dreamer96: Well, yes. More or less my intentions when writing it. I wanted Scar to keep some semblance of himself, while still showing that he is trying to change for the better.

IhateMarySue'sSoooooMuch: You know, I considered that. I really did. But it hit me early on in the planning stage how little sense that would have made. Licha led the attack that killed her first born, which caused her to change pretty dramatically. So that made him the second most hated creature in her mind, next to Kikatili of course. Put it this way, she would rather sell her soul to Simba himself, and he his slave for all eternity than EVER work with Licha, if she saw him, she would try and kill him on the spot (Speaking of that, I'm unsure on whether or not he is even dead. Maybe he is, maybe not. But his actions will have lasting consequences whether or not he lives to see them). This chapter will delve a bit into her mindset, and later chapters will offer a full in depth analysis of just what makes her tick.

And now, the story:

* * *

It made no sense to her. Scar had done so many terrible things to Simba...murdering his father for the throne, attempting to do away with him on more than one occasion...exiling him. Then, the moment he returned, Scar attempted to make everyone, even Simba himself, think that the younger lion was responsible for Mufasa's death. Then he tried to kill him with his own paws, the very same way he killed his brother. But then Scar slipped up; thinking he was in full control of the situation, he cruelly admitted to Simba who the real murderer was.

After that, it all became a blur, first Simba forced Scar to confess to the whole pride, then the hyenas jumped him, pulling him away from his uncle. After that, complete and utter bedlam, lioness against hyena. Or at least those who stood by Scar's side, which was the vast majority of the mutts. She didn't know what was going on at first, but she heard the roars, the telltale sign that a battle was taking place. Simba was bigger, and stronger, but Nala knew that Scar was no weakling, despite his often cowardly and subversive nature. Scar also had a lot more experience with fighting that Simba, who had obviously never seen any other member of his species until she ran across him. He wasn't the greatest fighter, her besting him in their brief scuffle, despite being considerably weaker, was testament to that. Had it gone on, he probably would have won, but it didn't speak well for his expertise in battle. From the stories her mother had told her, there had been a fight between Scar and Mufasa a while before she or Simba were born. Apparently, they fought to a standstill, before being stopped by several lionesses. That didn't make her feel much better about Simba's odds.

But as luck would have it, he prevailed, and sent his uncle tumbling down Pride Rock. She didn't see him fall, but the noise he made as he did so made it obvious to her what happened. There were mutters that the hyenas had turned on him, and were breaking off their attack on her pridesisters. Something about a betrayal. Nala remembered her thoughts from that day, how she almost hoped they ripped him limb from limb for what he did, to everyone, and for destroying the kingdom. But then the unthinkable happened. Simba came charging down from the promontory, stopping just long enough to explain what was going on. He said his father spoke to him, that he had to save Scar. The idea repulsed her, but when she saw not only Sarabi, but her own mother as well moving to join Simba, she knew that her place was to be by her mate's side. Even if she fervently disagreed with what he was doing.

And so she went, striking and driving off as many hyenas as she could. Not that they seemed interested in fighting anymore. They were weary, and knew that it wasn't worth losing the rest of the clan just to kill a few lionesses. Especially when the only thing they wanted was to kill Scar.

Nala figured that Simba would leave him once he drove the mongrels off, but in another surprising action, she saw him heft the smaller lion onto his back, right before Rafiki appeared, from what seemed to be thin air. Questions of all manner flew through her head in rapid succession. Why would Simba go through so much trouble...even if Mufasa's spirit had spoken to him, it didn't make any sense for him to risk himself, and possibly the entire pride, just to keep a killer alive.

Afterwords, she scolded Simba, but could see that he was firm with his decision. Scar was to remain, at least in the short term, till he could survive on his own. The lioness asked Simba what he planned to do afterwords, that if he was going to banish Scar. Simba replied that he didn't know, and that he would keep an eye on his uncle. If, Simba had told her, that Scar could prove his worth, and that he was adamant on changing, that he might be allowed to stay.

Then there was Zira. Nala remembered that conversation all to well, as she showed up scant hours after Scar's defeat.

_The rain had died down to a trickle, but the clouds were still and dark and fierce as ever. Scar was lying in his den, being tended to by Rafiki, while Sarabi and Sarafina took turns guarding it. Not just to keep Scar from escaping, should he awaken sooner than expected, but to keep anyone from making an attempt on his life, at least until Simba had passed judgement._

_Nala could see Simba, standing at the highest point of Pride Rock, watching the horizon. At first she thought that he was observing his kingdom, but upon closer inspection, she could see three silhouettes moving in the distance, one heading towards them, and the other two heading off, in the direction of the Elephant Graveyard. No one had told him yet that Scar had a mate, a queen. That much was obvious, given the confused and worried expression he had at the moment._

_The female walked over to her mate, nuzzling his mane. He flinched in surprise, before realizing who it was. "Nala, it's you. Guess I'm still a bit on edge. First it was Scar ,finding out what he had done...I can't believe he would do it, I looked up to him so much as a cub...Now I have to worry about the entire kingdom, undoing all the damage he caused."_

_Simba shook his head, water droplets flying off his mane in a misty spray. "And then I have them." he said, gesturing with his paw to the shapes in the distance._

_Nala growled softly. "That," she said, saying the word with a bit of distaste, "is Zira, Scar's mate. And the queen."_

_Simba's jaw nearly hit the ground at that. He knew that his mother was no longer queen, though from what he had heard, Scar would have gladly accepted her as queen when he took over. No, she had abdicated the throne, and instead opted to be be the lead huntress, and to advise him. She loved Mufasa far to much to betray him in such a way, even if it was with his own brother._

_Nala knew Zira had a terrible temper, and that she greatly enjoyed the power and prominence she got from being Scar's mate. She wasn't that bad at first...but after what happened with the hyenas, and the death of her first son, she had changed. Greatly. Before, she had been sarcastic, and even a touch arrogant, but that incident warped her. She became cold, bitter, and far more spiteful than ever before. The way she treated the surviving cub, became more and more twisted and cruel. She began demeaning him, telling him that he was worthless, and unfit to be the heir. If he ever stepped a paw out of line, he would be rewarded with a slap, or a hateful comment._

_Much as Nala disliked Scar, he did make the effort to try and negate some of Zira's abuse. He still treated the cub well, but he did little to stop his mate's behavior towards Nuka. When Vitani was born, Zira tried to convince Scar that she should rule instead, that Nuka was far to stupid and weak. Scar wouldn't have it. Not because she was female, or because Nuka was the first born even. Rather, he told Zira that he did not want to yank his son's right to the throne from under him. That he didn't want to do to Nuka what Ahadi did to him. To Nala, it was one of Scar's shining moments. It showed that even he was capable of some level of kindness._

_Zira seemed displeased, but didn't object. Still, her behavior to Nuka remained largely unchanged, except she tended to be more aggressive when Scar wasn't around to see it. He didn't say much, but the look in his eyes did show that he wasn't happy with her actions. And with his increasingly unstable mindset, even Zira began to grow nervous around him._

_As she was thinking, Simba had started walking down the path leading to the ground. So by the time she noticed, he was already several meters away, to the point that she had to sprint to catch up with him._

_"Simba, what are you-I mean, where are you going?"_

_"To try and clear things up with her. I'm sure she won't be happy about what happened to Scar, but she will have to accept that he is no longer the king, that she isn't going to be queen."_

_"You don't know her like I do Simba. She's dangerous, unpredictable. Maybe even worse than Scar. Don't you think it would be better if we had another lioness or two with us?"-"Just in case..."_

_"We'll be fine." Simba said, with what sounded almost like arrogance. "I handled Scar, so I'm sure I can deal with her too. Who knows, she might be more reasonable that you think...I'm sure everything wlil be fine."_

_But Nala could tell that he didn't fully believe his own words. Maybe he wanted to, but the doubt was still clear in his tone._

_When they were a few dozen feet off, Zira spotted them. Or rather, she spotted Simba, no thanks to his bright red mane. She broke into a full sprint, not stopping till she was almost nose to nose with him. Simba bared his teeth slightly, but refrained from any further action. Zira took a step backwards, not from fear, but to show how little she thought of him._

_"Seems like the hyenas aren't doing their job, not if a rogue like you can get in so easily." her eyes flicked to Nala, and a growl formed in the pit of her throat. "You've really done it now Nala. First you disappear for weeks, only to have the nerve of showing up with this flea ridden trash at your side!"_

_"No matter. You'll answer for it it due time. Just wait until King Scar hears about this, he'll exile you for sure." she said with a thin smile._

_Nala snarled, but Simba took it more in stride, laughing in Zira's face. "I don't think so, Zira. I'm Mufasa's son, and the rightful heir to the Pridelands."_

_Zira shot him a fierce glare. "So, Simba is it? I know who you are, funny, Scar told us all you died years ago. But your former status means nothing. Once Scar finds out about you, you'll be as good as dead."_

_"Seems Scar was wrong about that then, wasn't he?"-" Now, lets get to the point. Scar is no longer king here. That matter has already been settled. I've taken my place, so you will have to get used to that. Don't worry, he is still alive. And I'm willing to give you a chance, for your cubs sake. I don't want to see even more suffer for his crimes-__"_

_"You, as king? I don't care who you are, nor do I give a damn about any supposed claim to the throne. As far as I'm concerned, there is only on true king...Scar."_

_"Zira, he is your king now. You have to accept that-"_

_"Never! I will never accept it!" Zira roared. "You are no king of mine, and you never will be. For what you did to Scar, I will never forgive you!"_

_Simba stiffened. "Actually, it was the hyenas that nearly got him. If it wasn't for me, he would have died."_

_But Zira wasn't listening. Instead, she turned and stormed away, head held high, as she muttered to herself. "Shida and Shaka couldn't have gotten far...when I find them...Simba's brief reign will come to an end."_

_"Zira, wait..." but it was too late, and before Nala or Simba knew it, she had disappeared into the tall grass. Simba growled, clearly aggitated, and headed back to Pride Rock. Nala was about to follow, when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye._

_"Nuka, what are you doing out here..."_

Nala shook her head. It was only a couple days later that Zira returned, with Shida and Shaka in tow. Together they had tried to ambush Simba and herself, but they didn't count on her own competency as a fighter. Shida was tough, and always had a knack for running her mouth. The problem was, she could back up most of her boasts. She was loyal to Scar, though on many occasions he had threatened her for her sharp tongue. Her younger sister, Shaka was almost the opposite, timid, and often afraid to assert herself. Yet when provoked she was as fierce as any other lioness in combat. But she was only couple years old, barely halfway through adolescence. That was what Nala couldn't quite figure out, why would Shaka attack her, a fully grown female, and one of the strongest in the entire pride?

It didn't matter now, as Simba had already exiled them. Nala felt a pang of guilt for the two sisters, as well as Zira's younger cubs. If only there had been another way, if they had been a little older, they might have been able to stay, like Nuka did. That poor cub was still timid, thanks to Zira's overbearing demeanor, but he was beginning to become more independent and self confident. Not that he didn't have any before, Scar always seemed to make a point of trying to help the cubs self esteem, to toughen him up. His approach may not have been the best, but Nala could begrudgingly admit that his intentions were good; and that was what mattered the most.

Scar. She didn't get it at first, but slowly she was beginning to see why Simba, and dare she say it, Mufasa wanted to save his life. He was still cynical, and had a foul temper most of the time, but he was acting different than the tyrant she had come to know. The way he was behaving, was more reminiscent old self, back in the early part of his reign. Her memory of that time was fuzzy, but she could recall that he was a pretty good king back then. But his later actions took precedent for the longest time in her memories. So it wasn't till recently that she was able to recall that side of his personality. Before the madness.

She still had not forgiven him for what he had done. The murder of Mufasa, the attempted murder of her mate, Simba. And even her own brush with death in the Graveyard, which she had learned was not part of his plan. But she was beginning to see things from a different vantage point. So while she wasn't about to defend his actions, some of them, at least the ones during his rule, were beginning to make some degree of sense to her.

Then, just a few days before, she learned something truly astonishing.

Simba had went to the Gorge, to pay his respects to his late father. She knew that he had been putting it off for some time, not because he didn't want to, but because of all the dreadful memories, and nightmares. But he needed closure, at least in some form, and he finally decided that it was for the best if he went. She asked if he wanted company, and had declined, saying that it was for the best if he went by himself; at least this time.

It had already been well past mid day, and Nala remembered feeling a little uneasy for some reason. But she figured that he was capable of taking care of himself, and if he wasn't back by dark she and a team of lionesses would go to check on him.

Right at sunset, to her surprise, she had saw Simba and Scar walking up towards the promontory. Simba had a few cuts, and his mane was unkempt, but other than that appeared fine. The same wasn't quite true for Scar, who, while sporting superficial injuries as well, was walking with a pronounced limp. Right away she had ran to his side, asking what happened. Scar had been the first one to speak, telling of how they were ambushed by the remnants of Licha's followers, and of how he personally saved Simba's life. It sounded absurd, but she had to accept it as truth once Simba confirmed it. They then went into detail of the precautions that would be needed. Scar had came up with them, with Simba agreeing fully.

Not everyone agreed, with several suspecting Scar as being behind the ambush. A roar from Simba had silenced them, for the moment. He had stated for the whole Pride to hear that Scar was innocent, at least in that attack. That the entire reason for the ambush had been an assassination plan against Scar, not himself. At least, not at first. There were still doubt among the lionesses, but that was fading among the majority. One thing they all agreed upon was that he still had as long way to go in proving himself, that he still had a lot to do before they could even begin to forgive or trust him again. A few thought that he was damned no matter what he did.

Because of that, Nala had to admit that she no longer hated him. He wasn't, and probably never would be, her favorite lion; but he at least had proven that he was willing to try and better himself. Plus, he did save Simba, so that did account for something. Especially considering he could have easily ran away to save his own skin, or worse. He was also doing a good job as a father to Nuka. Scar wasn't always the most attentive, but he certainly tried his best.

So she was willing to give him a chance. If not for his sake, at least for Nuka's; the club clearly idolized his father, though the day would come when he would have to learn of his fathers misdeeds. How he would react was anyone's guess.

Nala also learned that keeping the hyena rebellion a secret from Simba wasn't a good idea. And truthfully, she could understand his anger over it. But he had to see things her her point of view too. At the time, he was under enough stress as it was, and the last thing anyone wanted to do was add to it by bringing that up so soon, especially since they thought the matter to be finished. Had anyone known Licha survived, it would have been of top priority for him to know about it.

What was done, was done however, and a lesson had been learned. Simba soon shrugged it off, and asked to be kept better informed in the future.


	7. Between Brothers

A/N: Another decently sized chapter. Fairly pleased with it too. Not sure on what else to really say right now, except that I'm about 1/3 of the way into chapter 8. That one should be ready in another 5-7 days, and I'll try and have it posted around 8-12 days from now.

Review time:

IhateMarySue'sSoooooMuch: Oh, you'll be hearing from her soon. Not directly against Simba, but there will be a bit on her coming up. And rest assured, she is, without a doubt, quite insane.

Haradion: Most certainly. And a lot of them weren't good. Glad to see that you're liking the story, considering that you are another of my favorite authors.

And now, the show must go on:

* * *

Over a month passed since that eventful evening in the gorge, and Scar could honestly say that he felt relieved that there had been no more attacks on the Pride, be it by hostile hyena's or anything else. Simba, of his own free will, had refrained in banishing them, instead opting to grant them access to the fringes of the Pridelands, along the boundaries originally set by Mohatu, before Ahadi revoked that privilege.

Scar was surprised at first, but after a while, it began making sense. Mufasa had never hated hyenas, not in the same way that their father had. They weren't his favorite bunch, but he could tolerate them if the situation called for it. They weren't allowed in the Pridelands simply because Mufasa wished to respect Ahadi's wishes regarding the matter.

So because he never had a parent instilling hatred of a species into him, he was more than willing give them a fair chance. As long as they respected the laws of the kingdom, and stayed within the confines of their territory, no problems would arise. At first Simba wasn't willing to do even that, as his encounters with them as a cub were less than pleasant. Since then though, he had learned a few things. Namely, that a lot of the crimes they committed were because of the situation they had been forced into by Ahadi, after he cast them from the Pridelands. He also learned that it wasn't fair to pass judgment on an entire species, based on the actions of a few. Hence his new ruling on the matter.

Scar, felt largely indifferent to that. Something like that, had no bearing on his life. What concerned him was getting by from day to day. His injuries had healed, but he did have a slight limp as a reminder. It was hard to notice for the most part, but it did start to become more pronounced after several hours of constant movement. Rafiki told him that night when he and Simba returned from the gorge that the stain he put on his body meant that he would never heal properly. That he would probably always have some difficulty moving for the rest of his life. Over time it might get better, but he would never be fully free from discomfort.

Like a lot of his recent actions, Scar had come to the conclusion that it had been worth it. Initially he had flew into a rage, snapping at everything that moved, and cursing his own sentimentality for not leaving his nephew to his own fate. But after a couple weeks, that notion gradually faded away. Due to that act, the members of the Pride were becoming less apprehensive of his presence, and more willing to associate with him. Sarabi still had trouble looking him in the eye, but that was hardly her fault, considering what he had taken from her, and all the stress caused to her by his reign. But she was cordial, and even friendly to him on occasion, which was still more than what could be said for the rest.

Sarafina, she was the real puzzle. When they had been younger, the two of them had been in love. Of course, they wouldn't admit it at the time, but it was true. To this day, Scar often thought that perhaps their still was something between them. But after certain 'events', they had parted ways, at least romantically. Not long after, she came up pregnant with Nala. Of course, she wasn't his. They had spent time together when she was thought to be in season, but nothing came of it. No, Nala was conceived several months after they had split.

When he thought about it, it probably was he who caused things between them to end. By that point, he was already on a downward spiral. Tensions between him and Mufasa were high, and everyone around expected a fight to break out between the brothers. How right they were. Ahadi had been dead for six moons, and Mufasa still was angry with him over his actions. There father had been wounded, severely in fight against three rogue males. Mufasa had been by his side the whole way, but not Scar. At the time he had been off with the hyenas, blissfully unaware of what was taking place.

When he returned Ahadi was on his death bed, almost literally. Mufasa wasn't angry at Scar for that, not directly. How could he have known what taking place, considering how fast the events unfolded, he wouldn't have been able to arrive in time to have made a difference. So Mufasa didn't blame him on that. But when he did arrive, Ahadi made a point that he wanted to see his youngest son, one final time. Scar had refused, adamantly. Why he questioned, would he waste his valuable time speaking to the very lion that snatched his birthright, and had then proceeded to treat him like second rate trash?

This was what he told Mufasa, and the red maned lion stormed out of Scar's den, in a fury. But he did think the matter over, and he realized that perhaps he should see what Ahadi wanted. Better to at least try and make peace.

By time he got there, it was too late. The sobs coming from his mother and Mufasa told him that. Uru showed no signs of being angry with her second born, but the hurt and disappointment were visible, plain as day in her eyes. His brother was another story.

Mufasa got right in his face, screaming at him that he had been a poor brother and an awful son. That the only thing father wanted was to make amends. Ahadi , Mufasa said heatedly, had died with a broken heart, with the belief that his other son hated him. Then the older sibling went too far. He said that he regretted ever wanting to rule alongside him, and that he finally understood why father choose him to be sole ruler. That he was to incompetent to see to the needs of a kingdom, and would only end up dragging it down. Mufasa said that there was to be no question to that decision, and that the matter was final. That he would rule by himself, or not at all.

Upon hearing that sort of talk from his own brother, Scar felt betrayed on a personal level. And in his haste, he darted from the den in a flash. What he didn't see, were the tears forming in the eyes of his brother.

Instead, Scar remembered that he fled, all the way out to the Elephant Graveyard. It was a common meeting point for him and the trio of hyenas, so it didn't surprise him to find them there. That night he poured out his anger and frustrations to them, and the sadness that he felt over his fathers death.

So many years had passed since then, and thinking back on that time period was still quite painful. It brought back a lot of the anger he once felt towards Mufasa, and the jealousy. Was murder really the answer? It had all seemed so right, so justified when he committed the act, but now he could see that he was wrong. Looking back reminded him of something else as well. And that was that he still loved, and often times even missed his father. While a lot had happened between them, that single fact couldn't be erased. To think all this time, that he had convinced himself that he hated the lion who sired him. What a waste it was, and a fool he had been.

But years of resentment, jealously, and hatred had blinded him, in so many ways. Now, or at least recently, it felt as if a veil had been lifted from over his face, that he had finally began to rise above the haze that had been clouding his judgment for nearly half a decade. Sometimes he longed to be king, to be respected, even feared once my by some; but he didn't desire the madness that once plagued him, nor the ever present guilt of the crimes he committed to get where he had been.

If only he had tried a different approach, an alternate path of sorting out all the grief he and Mufasa had between them. After the night his father died, Mufasa seemed different. His brother had offered an apology to him, but it didn't lead to much. While he had begrudgingly accepted it, the tension between them was mounting. After that night though, Mufasa had changed. Aloof wasn't the word, but his brother seemed more withdrawn, less open in dealing with him. And when he did, it was almost as if there was an air of pomposity, of superiority surrounding him. As if he thought he was better, yet not consciously aware of such thoughts.

It all came to a head one day, mere weeks before Simba was conceived. That was the last day anyone could recall seeing the lion prince named Taka, the day Scar took the world by storm.

_The sun was well past its peak in the sky, and the shadows growing long. Yet it was sweltering, the air unbearably hot and damp. With the great fireball slowly sinking towards the horizon, the humidity seemed all the more suffocating._

_A young male, whose midnight black mane had barely finished filling in, was stalking across the savanna. Pride Rock was less than a thousand paces in front of him, but his anxiety made it feel more like a thousand miles. The Pridelands was in the midst of a drought. And though times were hard, at least hope was within sight. In a matter of days, the local shaman, Rafiki, had predicted that the rains would finally arrive. Life in the Pridelands was paradise compared to that which existed beyond the borders. Food was somewhat scare, but water was still plentiful. That fact alone made the great expanse of land seem like an oasis compared to the conditions faced elsewhere._

_That was the precise reason that Taka was so nervous. If he were by himself, no doubt he would have been far more at ease. He wasn't the king, no, that title belonged to his spoiled, wretch of a brother. But he would have been free to wander the lands, unmolested. He however, had a few...guests at his side. Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. Taka knew full well that hyenas were no longer welcome in the Pridelands. His father, soon after discovering the friendship Taka had with them, had set about looking for reasons to banish them entirely._

_That Ahadi had accomplished, which was why every step had to be taken with the utmost care. Mufasa may not have shared their father's utmost disdain for hyena kind, but that didn't mean he viewed them in the most favorable light. Since Ahadi's death, and what he viewed as Taka's betrayal, he had become adamant on keeping all of his fathers laws. Especially the one concerning hyena activity in the Pridelands._

_Before, when they still had been allowed access to western portion, it was still forbidden to kill one without just cause or provocation. Once Ahadi passed the new law, he amended that particular aspect. Any hyena that dared step foot in the Pridelands was subject to immediate execution, without trial and without mercy. The few that he knew of who got caught...needless to say they were never heard from again._

_Now, he knew Mufasa was different in that regard. The eldest of the two brothers had chased down several since he officially assumed the throne, but he refused to kill them. Some were severely maimed, but those were the ones that acted out in aggression first._

_Still, Taka knew that his brother would not take kindly to his inviting them into the kingdom, even if it was simply those three, and on a very temporary basis at that._

_All was going remarkably well though, given the circumstances._

_"So, then Taka...it feels like we've been walkin aroun' foreva. An' ain't a one if us seen that damn water hole that you wuz tellin' us about."_

_Banzai looked to Shenzi, then back to Taka."Yeah Scarface, Shenzi's right. I an't seen nothin, all this lookin around for water is makin me hungry too, so where are all the stinkin entrees at?"_

_Taka huffed indignantly. Not at the nickname, that was actually growing on him, but rather at the impatience of those two._

_"You and your incessant nagging will be the death of me one day...you would do well to be more like Ed-" he said, gesturing to the hyena with the thousand yard stare, "At least he is appreciative of the risk I am taking just by allowing you idiots in here."_

_Banzai opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't, because the next thing he knew, the ground around his front paws gave way, causing him to trip, falling head first into a termite nest._

_The next thing Taka knew, their was a chorus of laughter, coming from both Shenzi and Ed. Even Taka cracked a faint smile._

_"Hehehehehe..."_

_Banzai pried himself from the earth, before turning to glare at the demented hyena. "Shut up Ed, ain't nothin funny about this!"_

_Ed pressed a paw to his mouth to try and contain his laughter, to no avail, "Hahahahaha..."_

_"Okay, thats it..." Banzai said, before Shenzi jumped between them, to keep a fight from breaking out._

_"Knock it off it off will ya, in case ya'll forgot, we're tryin to not get caught by Mufasas and his harem.", under her breath, she mutter a few extra words, "...tha way they act, no wonda we're always at the bottom of tha damn food chain."_

_Suddenly Ed stopped his crazed cackling, as an eerily serious look crept over his face. Frantically he tapped on both Shenzi and Banzai's shoulders with his paw, grunting and pointing out towards the taller grass. "Ugh, ugh!"_

_"What Ed?!"_

_From off in the distance, a loud roar sounded._

_"Mufasa!" Taka said shrilly. "Damn it, that brute was supposed to be clear on the other side of the Pridelands..."_

_"You three, get out of here! I'll deal with my brother."_

_"But what about-"_

_"I said, go!" Taka roared._

_That was it. The hyena trio bolted, heading back towards the Graveyard, whimpering and yelping the whole way._

_Several seconds later, he heard the distinct heavy footfalls of another lion. One considerably larger than himself. A snap of a twig, and Mufasa came bounding through the brush, stopping a few feet from Taka. And by the expression on his face, he was none to happy._

_"Why, hello Mufasa." Taka purred out smoothly, trying his best to keep hide the anger and contempt from his brother. "What brings you from your pedestal on high, to grace the common rabble beneath your mighty feet?" The sarcasm though, that he made no effort to hide._

_"You know good and well what I'm doing here, little brother." the red maned lion said with a swish of his tail._

_"Oh, do I?" Taka said, feigning innocence. "I'm afraid I haven't the faintest idea...your __**majesty**__."_

_Mufasa growled deeply, the rumbling sound causing a small flock of birds to take flight. "Don't play stupid with me Taka. Not even an hour ago, I received word that a group of hyenas had crossed the border into the Pridelands. And they weren't alone."_

_Taka snorted. He knew good and well who told Mufasa of the little excursion that he had made with the trio. It was that little brown beak, Zazu. The younger sibling knew now that lying was out of the question._

_"I see the cats out of the bag then...pity that, I was hoping to keep this little guessing game going a pinch longer. Now that the matter is settled though, I bid you adieu brother." he turned to walk away, only for Mufasa to leap in his path, teeth bared inches in front of his face._

_"No, the matter is not settled. And yet you still turn your back on me!" the elder snarled._

_The hair on Taka's spine raised ever so slightly, and he growled back in response, "Coming from you, Musasa?"-"Please you're the last lion who should be giving lectures about that."_

_"You...you have no right to say that. Our father died with a broken heart, thanks to you. In fact, one might argue that his death is your fault...had you not been off with those damn poachers, he might have lived!" Mufasa roared, at the top of his lungs."Where were you when we needed you the most?"_

_"Don't you dare pin that one on me, you damned simpleton. No one, not you, not me, and most certainly not our __**beloved**__ father had the faintest idea that their were rogues in the Pridelands, so I advise you stay your tongue."_

_"Is that a challenge?"_

_Taka took a quick breath, hoping he wasn't getting in over his head. "What if it is?"_

_Mufasa didn't say a word. Instead, he snarled and leaped right at his younger brother. Taka, however had been expecting something like that, and rolled right before the blow would have connected. In a rage, he unsheathed his claws and raked them over the kings flank._

_The larger lion hissed in pain, before delivering a swipe to the side of Taka's head, nearly knocking him over. Head spinning, the smaller lion quickly recovered and tackled his brother. For several seconds they rolled along the ground, snapping and swiping, tearing out larges chunks of each other's manes._

_Finally Mufasa managed to pin Taka to the ground. Right as he was about to lunge for the Taka's throat, the latter pulled his back legs forward and thrust his back paws into Mufasa's gut. Letting out a roar of anguish, Mufasa rolled off of his brother, before he could be disemboweled by his sibling's claws._

_Seconds later Mufasa was on his feet, only to be slapped across the face by a paw, hard enough to make his vision swim. He recovered quickly, with both brothers backing off a few feet._

_For several moments they circled each other intently, but right before they could do any further damage, they were interrupted as two snarling lionesses dashed between them._

_"Sarafina?"_

_"Sarabi, get out of the way. My brother openly challenged me-"_

_"No!" she yelled back._

_"We won't just stand by while you rip each other to pieces." Sarafina chimed in, eyes flicking back to Taka._

_"And what is this then, last I knew you wanted nothing more to do with me. Isn't that why you were so quick to pick another suitor?" said Taka with an icy hint to his voice._

_"That has nothing to do with this." Sarafina had meant to sound dismissive, but Taka quickly picked up on the hurt in her tone, wincing slightly._

_"Indeed it does not." Taka said, changing the subject. "But this isn't your affair, and my brother and I do have some unfinished business to settle, so if you ladies could just go on your merry way again, I'm certain we'll reach an agreement soon." he said, voice oozing with venom._

_Sarabi huffed angrily. "That's where you're wrong Taka. He is my mate, and you're his brother, which means you're family as well. So don't do this, not to me, not to Fina or to the kingdom. It needs you just like we do. So please...stop this."_

_Sarafina narrowed her eyes at the two, like a mother scolding her cubs. "And just why are you two fighting in the first place?"-"I mean, I know Ahadi's death was hard on all of us, especially you, being his children."_

_Taka snorted, trying to hide what guilt he was feeling. Guilt because of the thoughts that had briefly crossed his mind during the scuffle._

_Mufasa scrunched up his face, considering their words. "Perhaps...perhaps you are right. But he did allow hyenas into the Pridelands. You know my fathers law on the matter, and times are hard enough without their presence." he turned to his brother, growling, "And you dared to disrespect his memory by allowing those poachers into his lands...my lands."_

_Taka rolled his eyes. "And you are a fool to assume that was my reason for doing so. Despite what you think, not all of them are mangy poachers. Our father was wrong about that, and so are you if you believe the same. The only reason I was allowing them here was out of concern for their well being. You think its bad here, sitting perched on that throne of yours...you haven't seen anything. If you took a trip outside the kingdom, you might have realized that."_

_Mufasa sighed deeply. Yes he could have been more considerate, but he still had to look out for his pride, his family, and the kingdom. Obviously Taka didn't understand everything there was to being king..._

_"I see your point, but I don't think you understand everything completely. There are many aspects of running this kingdom that I'm not sure you'll ever grasp, no matter what-"_

_He was willing to listen to Mufasa, even hear him our, but that last bit touched a nerve. "Is that so Mufasas?"-"How soon you forget a great many things, of how our father virtually disowned me as his son, of how he robbed me of ruling alongside you...all for something so petty as having having a few 'filthy scavengers' as companions." Taka growled out forcefully, mocking the words his father used to describe the hyenas. _

_With that, Taka made to walk off again._

_Mufasa tried pleading, "Brother, please wait-"_

_"Enough, I've had all I need to hear of your mindless prattling." Taka hissed. "And don't call me your brother ever again. Or Taka, because I'm no longer either of those things. Farewell, Mufasa."_

_With that, he ambled off, head held high, as the sun finally completed its journey over the horizon. Once he reached the Graveyard, he found his three comrades gnawing on some bones, of an old bull elephant that had died weeks before._

_"So I see ya managed to make it backin one piece, eh Scarface?" Banzai said, phrasing it more like a question than he should have._

_"To bad that dang ol' Mufasa hadta show up an' crash that little party we had goin on, ain't it Taka?" she ran her tongue across her lips, trying to hide her disappointment that he hadn't managed to bring back any food. Still, she was glad that he had made it back at all, especially after hearing the brothers fight. Mufasa was so much larger than his younger brother..._

_"No, don't you dare call me that!" he yelled out. When he saw that his outburst had startled them all, he stopped himself, feeling a bit angry at himself for lashing out so quickly. "My apologies, I'm still a wee bit on edge still from dealing with him. But no, my name is no longer Taka. Not anymore."_

_"Then whattha hell are we s'pose to call ya then, unless ya really do like the name Scarface." Shenzi said, a puzzled look on her face._

_"Hmm, that will never do...but something about it sounds, right, proper even." he carefully ran a paw under his chin, stroking his goatee. "No, not Scarface. But I have something better, how about the name Scar...how does that sound?_

_Shenzi cocked her her, then grinned, "Scar?"-"Now thatsa name I can get behin."_

_Scar smiled darkly._

All those memories, those were just the beginning of his fall. The fight with Mufasa, and his harsh words, weren't the only cause of strife between him and his brother. Yet, despite the anger brought on by such thoughts, Scar knew that he was one with the most to answer for. How he missed his brother, that he could find a way to stop his past self from committing that act. But dwelling like that was pointless. The past was already written in stone, and the only thing he could do was bare the burden of his misdeeds.


	8. In Search of Answers

A/N:

Damn that was a long time between updates. Have to say, writers block really, really sucks. Hopefully we'll be moving forward at a steady pace, but don't count on the updates being as close together as they were in the past. The new goal is one every 2-3 weeks, not nearly every week.

Also, you'll notice that this, and the chapter after as well, that they are covering some stuff that was stated in Chapter 3. I hate being repetitive, but I believe it's necessary for the story as a whole. Besides, before it was all exposition, this is from an actual characters perspective, in his own words.

Emerald dreamer96 : Yes, he will try. But more complications are sure to arise in the near future. But you are correct on the notion of Mufasa at least partially forgiving him.

IhateMarySue'sSoooooMuch: Don't be that fast to judge Mufasa, though I will warn you, the worst is yet to come. But in his mind, Mufasa really believed he was doing the right thing. For the most part. And yes, hugging Scar might be a tiny bit dangerous

Haradion: Yep, I like those too. And as I said to the above reviewer, the worst is yet to come.

readsmanyfavsfew :I appreciate the time it took you to write that review. And rest assured, I will eventually do all that I can, to fix a lot of those issues. But it likely will not be till after the story is done that I do any massive overhauls. Lack of free time and what not. But yes, those points are duly noted. Oh, and don't feel bad, because I know it wasn't your intention...but your review really prompted me to put the brakes on the story for a while. It made me second guess a lot of what I'd written, though not in a bad way. But as I said, I was getting into a funk anyway, so you weren't the main cause of the delay.

Maggie110: Glad you think so.

But yes, don't forget to read and review. And thank you all for your patience.

* * *

Simba had to die. There was no way around it, no other course of action to take. But there were so many questions, so much that could go wrong. She had been rash, stupid even, to attack Simba and Nala they way she did. If only she had waited, bided her time, if only...

It was to late for that. She, Shida and Shaka were exiled, not to return under penalty of death. That greatly complicated things, though it didn't stop her from gaining information. One thing she gather, at least through rumors, was that Licha and some of his followers were still alive. As if killing Simba and taking back the kingdom for Scar weren't enough of a burden, she had that filthy sack of flesh to possibly contend with. As much as she loathed Simba, she would sooner betray Scar and serve Simba in whatever way he pleased then allow that mongrel and his kin even another precious breath of air.

But with any luck, one would destroy the other, effectively eliminating half of her problems for her. If push came to shove, she would help Simba and his pride vanquish those disgusting hyenas, but the moment they were dead she would plant the proverbial knife in the kings back.

So much planning, and so little time to do it it. Surviving in the Outlands was a joke. One might as well try living in the burning depths of hell. Prey was scarce, and water rarer still. Were it not for the fact that she had made a couple new 'friends', none of her new pride might even be alive now. They were rogue females, that had left their own prides on bad terms. Or so they said, not that it mattered. Zira didn't give a damn about their history, so long as they could help further her agenda, and facilitate her and her cubs survival.

Kovu. Her precious Kovu.

Scar might not know it yet, but he was going to be the future king. Vitani, what role she would have was up in the air, though Zira could admit that the thought of them ruling alongside one another would be a tantalizing prospect. The only thing she did know is that Nuka would never have any say so. Period. That cub was a disgrace, too weak, too stupid to ever rule. She laughed for a moment at the thought of making him a court jester of sorts, before deigning him to be beneath even that.

Stupid, foolish little whelp...instead of coming with her, helping train Kovu as best as possible, he wanted to stay and live a pampered life in the Pridelands, with Simba. The little wretch even had the gall to say that Simba wasn't bad. That sealed it in her mind just how incompetent her eldest truly was. Killing him at the first opportunity crossed her mind, but she thought better of it. Scar would never allow that, not even from her. For whatever reason, her mate thought highly of that cub, and had practically clung to him ever since...since Furarha...

The name brought back a sudden rush of memories, enough to make her legs nearly give out beneath her. Happy times, her, Scar, even Nuka. How she had loved them all. How wonderful everything seemed.

No more. She could not, must not think back on that day. To do so would make her weak, and spoil her revenge. And she couldn't afford that. She had to be strong, for her new 'pride', her cubs, and most of all... for Scar.

...

It was hot out that day. The sun beat down on his silky black pelt, but Scar cared little for that. For the past few hours he had been lazing in the fringes of the Savanna, relaxing after the better part of the morning had been spent marking the western borders. Simba had told him that he would have to start earning his keep. Scar had grown angry at that, but pushed the feelings aside. After all, Nuka almost always accompanied him, and the cub was still curious on how the kingdom was ran. Of course Nuka wouldn't be able to be king, not now...that would fall to any cubs Simba might have.

On that matter, he had observed that Nala had grown significantly in the belly. Oh, he had his suspicions alright, but he had yet to confront Simba. He would let that nephew of his announce it when the time came, if it indeed was as he thought.

Still, he knew that one day, soon, he would have to tell Nuka everything. He was hardly even a cub, though the term still seemed more appropriate than adolescent. His mane was barely filling in, with only a couple tufts on his head and neck, and his chest. The color of his eyes had also shifted. Instead of being a mix of red and green, they were green in the enter, and red around the rims of the pupil.

A sudden weight falling on his back drug him from his stupor.

"...dad...dad!"-"Wake up a-already."

That was accompanied by a playful swat at the back of his ears. Scar groaned, and shook the boy off of him. Slowly he sat up, turning to face his son.

"I was awake...just resting my eyes and whatnot. Is it something of importance this time, because if it's anything like the last three times..." he made a slicing motion across his throat, though it was obvious that the gesture wasn't meant as a threat.

"W-well...I've been meaning to ask...but see, you never seem to want to t-talk about yourself at all. And...when I'm around the o-others, they seem a bit nervous around me...like they are afraid of me. Some have wh-whispered things...they wouldn't tell me but, dad...did you ever do something, something really bad that you haven't told me."

No, this wasn't supposed to come about like this. Scar cursed himself mentally, for not foreseeing something like this. Of course, those damned lionesses knew what he did, and some might have even told their cubs bits and pieces of the truth. Luck was with him in one regard, at least no one had divulged the whole story to his son. That made things less, complicated.

The older lion sighed roughly. "You might say something to the affirmative on that, Nuka. But at the time, it all made so much sense. But I won't start with that incident, no, the beginning is always the best place to start."

He scratched at his own mane, as he found himself faced with a rather unusual situation. Normally speaking was one of his strong points. He could be very eloquent and persuasive when the time called for it, though he usually laced it with wry sarcasm. But actually talking about his past, that left him at a very uncharacteristic loss for words. Especially when it was with someone who practically idolized him.

"You see, son, I was never the favored cub. Make no mistake, my father loved Mufasa and I equally well. But tradition dictated that there only be one king. The first born."-"My brother was born nearly six moons before me, so by the claim to the throne was his by default. Being the heir, meant he had to learn all the details of how to run his future kingdom. Father spent so much time training Mufasa." Scar said, coming off in a slightly more condescending manner than intended.

"Due to that, and his ever present duties, seeing to the welfare of the kingdom, he had little time for anything else. Including me. When I was young, I resented him for it. Deeply. Hindsight has allowed me a clearer picture, but at the time I assumed he was doing it deliberately. So finally, when I was just a bit younger than you are right now, he finally noticed how troubled I was, and he decided to inquire as to what the problem was. I accused him of playing favorites, that both my brother and I were his children, so why was he trying so hard to pretend that one didn't exist. That, I asserted, he had no right to do. That he couldn't just toss one cub aside like trash, while showering the other with praise and affection. I thought he was doing it to avoid being seen with me, that he was somehow ashamed. Everyone always talked of how great my brother was, yet I wasn't even an afterthought. So what else was I to think? I made my case to him, in a very 'polite' manner of course."

"How could h-he do that to you, that sounds like a t-terrible thing to do..." Nuka said, only for Scar to interrupt him with a snort.

"Don't be so quick to judge him on that, there is so much more to tell." _And the best is yet to come. _He thought wryly.

"No, my father wasn't attempting to do that to me. As I said, and as he told me, it was tradition. A law enacted by my great-great grandfather. King Mkali. The law was practical at the time, and up until that point, no one had ever been affected by it. At least not in such a negative fashion. My father apologized to me, all the same. He did mention what it was unfair in some ways though, that it was a bit outdated, if you will. I wasn't sure if I could even believe him, until I heard his next suggestion. My father was known to be a bit...spontaneous at times, and this was one of them. He said that it wasn't fair, either to me or Mufasa, for the throne to be handed to the oldest, with age being the only requirement to rule. His alternative was to start training me as well, alongside my brother. He even implied that we could both rule together, assuming we proved ourselves capable of such. It was unorthodox, but he said that he could see no reason to deny me based on nothing more than sheer randomness of birth."

"I was delighted of course. How could I not be. Not only was I getting the chance to actually spend time with my father, to actually get to know him, but I also got time with Mufasa. I looked up to him in so many ways, and I seldom even saw him once his training began in earnest. Ruling the kingdom, that had a certain appeal, but at the time family took precedence. How I wish I kept that mentality."

Before Nuka could ask further, his father turned away, glancing for the briefest moment in the direction of the gorge. "Everything went well, for quite some time actually. I was making great strides in our lessons, and was starting to catch up to where Mufasa was at. My father was impressed by this. He told me, both of us actually, that he was planning on both of us succeeding him as king. We had our issues to still work out, but we did a good job of covering each others weak points." Scar shook his head for a moment. "But like so many other good things, it all came to an end."

He scoffed, "My father hated hyenas. With something akin to, but far more dangerous than mere passion. It wasn't that he thought them inferior, no, it wasn't that simple. In his mind, they were dangerous, conniving and vicious Degenerate scum, that could do nothing but corrupt anything and anyone they came in contact with. I never found out why either. All I know is that he was a rogue before stumbling into the pridelands...back when my grandfather, Mohatu was king. Before Mohatu assumed the throne, our species were on the verge of war, a war that thanks to the hyenas numbers, would have been devastating even for us. But he believed in peace, obstinately so. A very charismatic lion, one who believed all species were equal under the circle of life. Well renowned for his wisdom, even while he was still a prince"

"Long story short, after a long series of negotiations, he got what he wanted. They were allowed into the western territories, but no more than the fringes, just beyond the graveyard. It was a compromise, they wanted full access, but the lionesses and the herds were too afraid, too paranoid of what they would do."

"Ahadi, though not related by blood to Mohatu, nonetheless sought to honor that treaty, even if he himself loathed them. My grandfather would have it no other way before naming him as his successor. But that all changed one day."

Nuka scratched at his neck, trying to get at a few fleas crawling through his scraggly patches of hair. "What happened then, what c-changed his mind?"

"I'm getting to it. Patience child. Anyway," Scar said, coughing to clear his throat, "...what changed everything was something I did. You see, when I was a few moons younger than Simba, I stumbled upon a confrontation. I was on the far edges of the Pridelands, near the Elephant Graveyard, when I heard a great commotion. As I slowly crept towards the source, I saw Shenzi, Banzai and Ed being backed into a corner by two grown male Cheetahs. Normally three hyenas would be tough match for two Cheetahs, but like me, they were still adolescents at the time. Those two were large, at least I remember them being so. I'm not sure what possessed me to do as I did, considering how badly that could have went, but I charged right into the middle of the conflict. Literally. I think the fact that they recognized me as a prince kept them from actually attacking. I did nothing however, to stay their tongues."

"They claimed, that they hyenas were too far into the Pridelands, that it was their territory, not someplace for a bunch of mangy poaching mongrels. I pinned one of them to the ground, and told them that this was _my _families land, not just theirs. I also informed them, none to kindly, that they were still well within their established boundaries, and that if they didn't clear out and leave those hyenas be, that I would inform my father of this little incident. The mention of Ahadi was more than enough to scare them straight, and you wouldn't believe how fast they back peddled."

Scar laughed wryly at that. "And in more ways than one. I swear, that was probably the fasted I've ever seen a couple of Cheetahs clear out of an area, and considering their reputation for speed..." he laughed again, before his expression became clouded by something else. "If only they knew how much my father hated hyenas...he wouldn't have tolerated it if any were killed for no reason, but if it was just a beating, he likely would have turned a blind eye. If anything, I would have gotten punished as well had he found out what I did."


	9. Sins of the Father

A/N: And it looks like were are back in the swing of things. Will probably be another 2.5-3 weeks for Chapter ten. Got some done on it, but still sitting near 35% for it. Everything else seems to be shaping up.

Emerald dreamer96: Glad you think so. And more will be shown about Zira soon.

Twin: *Waves back* It was great hearing from you again. Already saw the PM, but you knew that.

Since I don't have any more reviews, the chapter is next. Feel free to give any kind of review. Try and be constructive though. Even if it is over something like spelling and grammar, please don't be shy about informing me on what needs to be fixed.

Edit: Special thanks to Sir-Anathema for pointing out an extremely hilarious typo. I'm not going to lie, I read the review early on the 1st and left it unedited till now, just because of how much it made me laugh. But it is fixed now, as I am bound to keep my content as error free as possible. No matter how amusing said error is.

* * *

"They were quite grateful of what I had done. Naturally of course. As a result, a friendship of sorts was formed between myself and them. We were all near the same age, so why not? But it was something I was compelled to hide from my father. As we each held the rank of prince and were potential heirs, both Mufasa and myself were strictly prohibited from having any sort of contact with them. Baring any territorial or diplomatic disputes. Father still preferred to deal with those himself as well."

"In his mind, us associating with them on a personal level would have a corrupting influence, make us become degenerate criminals just like them. You have no idea how hard it was to reconcile the two sides of Ahadi. On one hand he was a kind and attentive ruler, quick to jump to the aid of anyone. The only thing he valued more than the kingdom was family, and he tried his best in all regards. But his hatred for that particular species clashed with that in such a violent way."

He repressed a growl, while carefully watching Nuka's expression. A thin smile formed on his lips when he observed how his son was hanging on virtually every word. "He always thought that they were incapable of forming any true friendships or loyalties outside of their clans, and cautioned us every-time the matter was broached, that they would only seek to befriend us for power and influence. That they would exploit our status to gain power and take over the kingdom. It was foolish, but my father was very paranoid in that sense."

"For a good while the whole thing was kept under wraps, usually involving my sneaking into their territory. They were apprehensive at first, of any lions, especially after Mohatu passed. They knew what Ahadi was like, even before he assumed the throne. Shenzi managed to pull through for me, due to her rank as future matriarch. Sooner than I ever expected, I found myself accepted as one of them. It made me question, and not for the first time, how my father treated them, and the logic behind his hatred."

His lips curled slightly, both out of amusement and frustration. "It wasn't long before my brother found out about my little excursions. He didn't approve per-say, but we were very close at the time, and the last thing he ever wanted was to bring fathers wrath down upon me. Mufasa even helped me on a few occasions. There were times that I came back, thick with the scent of hyena on my pelt. Father was, as you could imagine, more than a little suspicious. Luckily for me I inherited both his quick wit, and my mothers creativity for problem solving."

"I merely fabricated the story that I had ran across some hyenas who strayed a little too far into the pride lands. The smell was due to me fighting them off. This is where my dear brother came in...he corroborated my story, claiming that he had actually witnessed these confrontations. Of course, some times a few superficial wounds were needed, and though I had to beg, he also delivered on that part as well."

"For a very long time, my story was accepted as genuine fact. But eventually I slipped up, and used a particular incident one too many times. I wasn't accused outright, probably because he didn't even want to believe his worst fears were coming true. But I could tell from his behavior that something was amiss. That is where I dropped the ball. Two days later, I ventured towards their territory. I wanted to warn them that my father was growing suspicious, and that this would be the last time I could meet them in this place, at least in the immediate future. What I hadn't counted on was him shadowing me the entire way. Make no mistake, he never revealed himself. Brave as he was, he wasn't stupid. The hyenas did not hold him in the highest regard, with many of them having as much disdain for him as he held them. Which is why on the rare occasion he visited them, that he always brought nearly half the pride. Yet despite his beliefs and fear, they were all loyal to him and the kingdom. But he knew that if he let his temper fly, that he could still provoke a violent response. One lion against dozens of hyenas would have been suicide, and would have no doubt plunged the pride lands into a civil war."

"In that regard, he did the proper and responsible thing...but everything else..." Scar roared loudly, before calming himself. Seeing that he had upset Nuka, his expression softened slightly.

"D-dad... you don't h-have to t-talk about it..." he mumbled, before Scar spoke back up.

"No. I promised that I would tell you my story when you were old enough, and I can tell that day has finally come...and despite my own personal feelings, I owe you nothing if not the full truth. I apologize for that, but some scars never fully heal..."

"He took his time, till I had made it back to Pride Rock. Once I got back, he angrily confronted me. Right off he accusing me of being both a liar and a traitor. Those hyenas were nothing but trouble he said, and that he was ashamed that his own son could betray him like that. I tried to make him see reason, that he was being foolish by overreacting in such a way."

"That only enraged him further, and he declared that not only was my right to the throne permanently revoked, but that I was neither a prince nor any son of his. Mufasa was his only child, and sole heir, exactly as law prescribed."

Nuka felt pangs of anger welling up within him, the emotion seemed so foreign to him."How, how could h-he say such a thing? You were his son too!" Nuka hissed.

"To this day, I have yet to understand the thoughts going through his head that night." Scar said sadly, "All I know is that I was absolutely livid at what he said. I accused him of being the liar and that he always secretly favored Mufasa, that he had been waiting for something like this. I scream out that it was just some sick game, that everything ever done was a ploy to get my hopes up, just to be crushed. No sooner than I said those words did he roar angrily and throw himself at me. I remember my body tensing up, but that proved unnecessary. Mufasa had been listening in the whole time and quickly came to my aid, by tackling father mid pounce."

"Ahadi was nearly blind with rage, and for a moment he didn't recognize his son. Either of us. Over the sound of the scuffling Mufasa shouted out that it would be for the best if I left for a few days, till he had a chance to get our father to come to his senses."

"I left for the Graveyard, the main den for the clan Shenzi and the others belonged to. Unfortunately, along the way I stumbled across a mother leopard with two young cubs. More out of panic stricken terror than anything she lashed out, leaving me with this..." he motioned to the discolored pink flesh running across his left eye in a crescent moon shaped pattern. "As I was a young adult, I should have been able to fight her off better, but she was in a fury, and myself taken by surprise and blinded in one eye. Were it not for a certain trio interceding, I might well have been killed that night."

"They wasted no time in pinning her to the ground. Their profane comments, I'll omit. I told them not to harm her, or her cubs, and they released her after telling her exactly who I was. She was afraid for her life, but I told her not to worry. I was no longer a prince, so what would Ahadi care? She had nothing to fear from me. With that explanation, myself and the three headed for the den. They were able to treat my eye, enough at least to stop the bleeding, but the injury was too far gone to keep a scar from forming. "

"That was where I got my nickname. My namesake if you will."

"You mean to s-say..." Nuka said cautiously," You mean that Scar isn't your real name?"

His father scoffed, "No, of course not. My birth name...was Taka."

"But doesn't that mean-"

"Trash? Garbage? Yes. Or at least in our language. But remember, my father was not from the pride lands nor any of the surrounding areas. In his native land, the name means 'gifted', or charismatic. Which is fitting enough I would suppose, but my name isn't what we are discussing today."

"Getting to that point, after a few days my friends informed me that Mufasa was waiting at the border where our territories met. Once I had bid them farewell, I went to see what my brother wanted. He told me that father had not meant it when he disowned me, that I was more than welcome to come home. My title as prince would stand, but I would never be king. Mufasa wasn't pleased with father, not at the time. But we both knew how stubborn that old lion was, and that if he set his mind on something, no force on earth could change it."

"Once we got back, father confirmed everything Mufasa said. He apologized for attacking me, but refused to allow me to succeed him in regards to the throne. He thought that they had already gotten to me, and that me ruling could only bring ruination to the kingdom. In a sense, I suppose he was correct."

"But our relationship became much colder after that. We remained civil in front of the pride, but other than that we didn't speak often. I've come to regret it now, but at the time there was simply too much tension for us to actually be around one another. After that, my father also went out of his way to make life hell for the hyenas. Needless to say, he wanted to find a reason to banish them entirely. While I won't specify on the specifics, he eventually found that reason. They were no longer allowed to step a foot into the Pridelands, to do so was a death sentence. I never personally witnessed any altercations, but I heard the rumors..and saw some of aftermath."

"Those that were caught trespassing, suffice to say they were never heard from again. At least not alive. There were a few times I happened across mangled remains, I always tried to tell myself that it was one of our kills, that it couldn't have been anything more than a warthog or young wildebeest. You have no idea how that felt, not always knowing whether or not it was one of your closest friends..."

Scar's face scrunched up, as various emotions tried to fight their way to the surface. He kept as calm as possible, both for Nuka's sake and his own sanity. Never again could he allow himself to lose control...

"Enough on that matter though. That sort of thing you needn't hear at your age. Or ever, preferably. But yes, father and I grew distant. One night, many moons after that eventful evening I was out, just outside the Pridelands. Of course it was against his orders, but at that point, I didn't particularly care about his opinion or his ideals. It was just me and those three. We were making jokes about usurping the kingdom and the like. Some nasty things were said about my father and all, but it was all in jest. Mostly. I had actually spent nearly two days away, and had been fighting off this horrid, nagging feeling. Something didn't seem right, though I couldn't quite put my paw on it."

"Either way, earlier than planned I asked to be excused. They insisted on following me right to the border, but I told them that it wasn't worth the risk of them being spotted. By the time I crossed back into the kingdom the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, and that is when I caught the scent. Rogues, and at least two of them. I wasted no time trying to hunt down Mufasa and my father, hoping that I wasn't too late. Turns out, I was."

He sighed sadly.

"They fought them off, and while Mufasa thankfully escaped with only superficial injuries, father wasn't so lucky. His wounds were bad, and too much even for Rafiki to properly treat. Try as me might, all the shaman could do was postpone the inevitable. Mufasa wasn't angry with me, even though he knew I was gone. The look on his face suggested that he wasn't pleased, but he didn't blame it on me, not then. He told me that Ahadi wanted to speak with me, that it was urgent that I do so...

Nuka looked at his father ruefully. "What did you tell him?"

The older lion extended his claws for a moment. "I told him that I would do no such thing. Why should I waste my time, to attend to a lion that revoked my birthright, and who proceeded to treat me so callously...as it turns out, I was a bit hasty in my remarks. Mufasa left, angry and muttering curses under his breath."

"A bit later that evening, I began having second thoughts on the matter. I still cared for him, though I was loathe to admit it at the time. So I made the decision to see him one last time, to at least try and patch things up between us, before he passed into the next life."

His eyes glistened slightly with extra moisture, though Nuka wasn't sure on what he saw.

"I arrived, mere moments after he breathed his last. Mufasa got in my face, telling me how terrible of a son I was, and that he was ashamed to have someone like me for a brother. He told me that father wanted to seek amends, to have acknowledgement that I still loved him. Mufasa told me when he died, his heart was fragmented, that he believed that I despised him still. I tried to tell my brother that it wasn't true, but he kept going, saying that he regretted ever wanting _me_ to rule alongside _him_. He finally got it Ahadi said, that the reason father didn't want me to rule was because I wasn't fit for the job and would destroy the kingdom if I did. There was to be no questioning it, either he was sole ruler, or nothing. I bolted, and fled to my usual spot. Mother later told me that he regretted his words, but I never believed her. Not that she was lying, but that he was."

"I was angry, and bitter over that. But it got so much worse. Mufasa tried to act cordial after that, but something was different. He walked with this haughty attitude, especially around me. As if he thought he was better, and either didn't want to own up to it, or was to dim to even realize what he was doing. Anyway, it was several moons after he assumed the throne that things hit a breaking point."

"I was sneaking Shenzi, Banzai and Ed into the pride lands. Not just for the sake of doing so, but because of the conditions at the time. I told them that they could hunt if they were careful, and that there was a certain water hole that no one tended to go too. But as usual, my big brother had to ruin that. Some heated words were said, and a fight soon erupted. Sarabi and-" his nose curled as he recalled the name. "-Sarafina jumped between us, and I shudder to think of how things would have gone had they not done so. Mufasa was a big lion, even larger than your cousin, Simba. Yet I was out for blood at the time, and was doing a good job fending him off...but that isn't important."

Scar shook his mane to clear some dust away. "What matters is that we were stopped. But the argument continued onward, with him accusing me of allowing them in simply to spite father. It went downhill, with him going so far as to tell me that I would never be able to understand the ways of ruling the kingdom. I left, but not before telling him that I was neither Taka, nor his brother. You can guess where I went. And thus I was reborn, as Scar. From that day on, I became cold, calculating. I didn't hate Mufasa, but I most certainly resented him deeply."

"Once Simba was born, I had all but given up on ever being king. Even if I outlived my brother, due to how close we were in age, I wasn't destined to rule for long. And I had yet to consider any..._alternative_ means of taking the throne, if you get what I'm saying."

Nuka nodded his head slowly.

"I don't think I ever hated the hairball, but I despised everything he represented. Mufasa was so proud, so caught up in the moment that he no longer even gave me the time of day. That is why I conveniently_ forgot _when his presentation was to be. Oh, to be sure, my brother wasn't happy about that, but I bit my tongue back enough to keep from starting another fight. I figured I'd gotten under his skin enough for one afternoon."-" With each passing day, I grew more and more impatient and restless. Moreover, I found myself craving the crown and everything it brought. Up until Simba was born, it was but a fleeting notion. Like a bad itch that never quite went away. But when he came into the world; and my prospects of ever assuming control were at their bleakest, the desire began to drive me mad. It's funny in a sick sense, I have to admit that much."

His tone shifted, suddenly becoming much sharper. "But then I found out something that finally drove me over the brink. Simba was nearing two moons in age, and I managed to overhear a conversation between Mufasa and Sarabi. Obviously it was a confession, not meant for my ears, but that didn't stop me from eavesdropping on the them. He was telling her that he had done something terrible, and that was that he hadn't exactly told the entire truth regarding father and his last request. Apparently-" Scar said, with his next words coming out almost as a hiss,"-...before father died, the real reason he wanted to see me was that he had reneged on his earlier statement, and he realized just how many mistakes he had made. As father put it, what he told Mufasa was that he wanted both of us to rule. Exactly what he promised me before the incident with the hyenas caused our relationship to turn sour. To think...my own brother would do something like that."

Scar pawed at the ground, so much of the old anger flooding back, if only in passing. "For so long I had supported him, even when things looked bad...and that was how he repayed me! By smashing to dust what had only just given back to me!"

He calmed himself. "Yet that doesn't even begin to excuse my subsequent actions. You see-"

A sudden rustle of grass, and he turned abruptly to his left. Out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw a flash of red. Sighing, he turned back to his son, thinking nothing of it. His lip curled slightly when he smelled something foul in the air.

"Odd...probably that blasted warthog again...anyway, getting back to the story, after that I just went numb for quite a while. Eventually Mufasa broke away from his mate, and sauntered along till he found me. Yet he hadn't the faintest clue as to what I had just heard, greeting me as if nothing had changed from our younger days. But something was changing in me, and it wasn't for the better."

"I found myself scheming of ways to get to the throne, by any means. I wasn't even sure if I cared whether my brother and nephew lived or died. Simba was an insufferable thorn in my side, always finding me when I least desired company. The cub looked up to and practically revered me, yet I abhorred being near him. I know I slipped a few times, nearly forgetting how much I hated him and his father. But I made up my mind soon enough. I wanted him out of the picture, but I knew I would never be able to live with the guilt if I did it myself."

"Further, it would be obvious if I did anything personally. Instead, I came up a plan with Shenzi and the others. Soon, the little prince was going to disobey daddy, and go out to the graveyard. They asked why he would do such a thing and all I did was smile, and remind them of just how much bravado a young cub has, and that one like him would do anything to prove his fearlessness given the proper _motivation_. They got the point quick."

Nuka gulped, unsure of what to say or think. Instead, he just listened on.

"The next day after suffering through yet another visit with him, I put my plan into motion. I goaded him, and using a trick I'm not proud to admit to, I _accidentally_ let it slip that only the bravest lions would dare to go to the graveyard. He fell for it easier than expected. But I never guessed the naive twit would dare bring Nala along. I had little contact with either, but I couldn't help but see so much of Sarafina in her, enough that I couldn't bare the thought of her getting hurt due to his ignorance. Fortunately it never came to that. And instead of being a good little victim and getting eaten, Simba managed to escape for them moment, along with Nala. That only furthered my belief that he was to incompetent to be king anyway." Scar blinked, before briefly glancing skyward.

"Right when I was sure Shenzi was going to tear him apart Mufasa arrived. In seconds he subdued them, and told them to never approach his son again. After that he angrily beckoned Simba to leave with him, and they disappeared from my sight."

"I was quite mad that the whole thing didn't go according to plan. Thoughts were brewing in my mind, though I wasn't entirely sure whether I could go through with them. But when I thought to how he betrayed me, and how his little brat also robbed me of ever having the throne on my own; along with how bad I craved it...I made my decision. I had a little conversation with the three, and word spread to the rest of the clan like wildfire. Some were a bit apprehensive, but when I started listing what I would do for them, well lets just say I was able to persuade them to see things from my viewpoint."

"Plans were made, mostly by me, but Shenzi and the other two did contribute here and there. At first they were so eager, but I could tell that they felt at least some guilt...killing a cub and the king wasn't as easy for them as one might think...but the prospect of reward soon superseded those feelings. I was already anxious, and merely wanted all obstacles in the way if my rise to greatness removed. At any cost. The place and time were soon set. The gorge, exactly one full moon cycle after the first attempt on Simba failed. Only this time, it was both father and son who were to perish...we needed something that could be played off as a tragedy, an unforeseeable accident. Nothing allows for a smoother transition of leadership than something like that."

"What was needed. was a stampede. Wildebeest, such volatile creatures they are. Thousands upon thousands of them. Both the king and the prince were to be crushed under hoof. Simple and efficient. Yet that too didn't go exactly as planned...Mufasa was able to save Simba by tossing him up onto an overhang, several feet above the raging torrent of prey animals. But he was swept away, and you don't even want to imagine the glee I felt when I first saw him go under. That would of course, have been too easy. The brute came bursting out of the sward, clawing his way up the steep canyon slopes."

"I still remember that day, so very clearly...He looked up to me, and I could see the hope and trust in his eyes. And he was a fool for doing so. He asked, no, begged me to help him...but I didn't do that. I did something worse...I tossed him down into the stampede, where he met his end."


	10. What Trials the Future Brings

A/N: Back again. In better time than I anticipated. Completed this chapter earlier today, and even got a good chunk of the next one done.

And it is official. Starting here we have crossed the TLK2 event horizon. But expect a lot of differences. Naturally, especially with Scar being alive.

I'm expecting the next chapter to be done closer to the end of the month. Could be sooner, but I'd rather give myself the extra time in case I hit a few road blocks.

There are a few time skips in this chapter too. Nothing major though.

Guess I'll address my reviewers now:

Emerald dreamer96: Very true. All of it actually.

Sir-Anathema: Yes, I noticed those errors. The 'thong' one made me laugh. Half of me didn't want to fix it, because of how funny it was, but my reasonable half knew it needed to be done. I'm still going to keep on the lookout for errors though. Glad you like the story so much though, makes me feel good.

Guest: Thank you.

Hoping to get more reviews in the future, but I'll still take what I've been given. As always, I accept all reviews. So don't hold back just because you don't have much nice to say. (Unless it is tasteless bashing. I'll still read and accept the review, but know that I don't view pointless bashing in the best light.)

And now, Chapter 10!:

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Nuka's jaw dropped. Anger, hurt and pity welled up in him."No father...tell me you didn't, please..."

Scar sat down on his haunches, face downcast. "I did it Nuka, I. Killed. Mufasa. I murdered my own flesh and blood, and just look where it got me!"

He turned away from his son, the weight of shame crashing down upon him like a mountain. If the child was smart, Scar thought, he would want nothing further to do with him.

After a moment though, he was surprised to feel a paw on his shoulder. He turned, and saw what had to be the most pained expression that his son had ever had. "Father...dad...what you did was terrible. B-but you're still my dad, you've always been there for me...more than anyone. So I-I'll do my best to be there for you. But promise me dad. Promise that it's all in the past, that you've p-put it behind you."

Scar sat, mouth nearly agape. Slowly he nodded his head in affirmation. He only hoped that indeed was the case, because the past always had a bad habit of come back to haunt people like himself.

"Before we go back though Nuka, I want a promise from you too." he said as a particular thought struck him. "Now that Simba is king, you know that the line of succession will fall to any cubs that he has, not you." His son nodded, "Of course you do. Well, I would have never envisioned the path I took when I was your age. I have to make for certain that you'll never, ever follow in my paw prints."

"...dad" he said, shrinking down slightly. "I won't d-dad, I promise you that I won't. I mean yeah, being king would be cool and all, but not i-if it means hurting family. " he shook his head. "I c-could never do that."

Scar smiled warmly. It was a genuine smile, and one of the first he had it years. In his mind, he made a vow to himself. And that was to keep Nuka on the right path as best as possible, to never allow his son to become twisted and corrupt like he once was.

In a flash though, he saw his son's face completely change into that of a terrified cub as he picked up a smell on the wind.

Silently Nuka mouthed the word "...mother..." and that was enough for Scar. He motioned for Nuka get behind him. For protection.

He whirled around in a flash. And when he heard the subtle rustling of grass, he put on his most sincere smile.

"...why hello Zira...certainly has been awhile..."

...

Father and son arrived back at Pride Rock less than thirty minutes later. Scar was in a foul mood, though he didn't feel like sharing anything with the rest of the pride. All he wished was that certain individuals would learn to put the past where it belonged.

As he rounded the corner, he nearly collided with his larger nephew. Both eyed each other warily, before Scar greeted him curtly. "Good evening Simba. I trust your day is going significantly better than my own."

The red maned lion lion nodded hesitantly. "Yeah sure Scar, never better. The kingdom is actually starting to prosper now...though I'm still worried for the future." he looked as if he were debating something in his mind, but Scar had no desire to press further. Not without inviting another set of completely unwanted questions."

"I see..." he started to walk off, before hearing Simba cough behind him.

"Any sign of trouble at the borders?" he asked, speaking with far more apprehension that he should have. Enough so that Scar had to stop for a moment, to make for certain that he wouldn't allow anything odd to slip in his tone.

"Why of course not nephew, everything has been remarkably peaceful since that little spat in the Gorge...though why you have little old me of all-" Scar stopped when he saw the look he was getting. By no means was he afraid of his nephew, but he had no desire for trouble. A fight was the last he thing in the mood for.

Making sure to emphasis the sarcasm, he said "Right, silly me...safety of the pride and all."

Simba merely nodded, before going on his way once more.

He and his mate had so much on his mind. Some of which he wasn't even sure he wanted to talk about. But he tried to not let his thoughts keep him down. Not with the news he was going to soon share with the pride.

...

Far away, past the edges of the pride lands there was a great desert. The same one Simba nearly met his death in after being exiled by his uncle.

It was nearing night fall, and two figures were standing over a carcass. It was a small and ratty thing, but it passed for a meal for these two desperate creatures.

"That is it, that is what you're proposing?" spat a voice. "Ridiculous!"-"Yet if you think it would be enough to eliminate the female, I'm all ears for the rest. For you're sake though, you'd best hope it comes to pass." it said, already imagining the things it would do to the other if the idea fell through. It licked it's lips hungrily.

The other nodded fearfully, letting out a thin high pitched laugh before speaking again.

...

A few more days had passed, and Simba was still acting strangely. Not hostile per say, but rather just evasive. Scar noticed that he was only like that around himself, and to a lesser extent his son.

But the new king had told him the previous day that he had something important to announce, and that he would like the entire pride present. Including himself and Nuka. And that event was supposed to be right at mid day.

So he found himself padding his way up to the promontory, till he reached the mix gathering of lionesses. He ignored the harsh skeptical looks he was receiving. And instead of responding with hostility as he would have done in the past, he opted to simply roll his eyes at them all.

If it was anything as he expected, today was going to be very interesting.

Simba rounded the corner a few moments later, casting a look of uncertainty on his uncle before smiling softly to the rest of the pride.

"Everyone. You're all probably wondering why I gathered you together like this." he took a deep breath. These speeches were still quite new to him. "Well, I'll keep it short and simple. Nala and I have known about it for a while now, we just wanted to wait and give ourselves time to adjust to the news...but she is expecting cubs. I'm going to be a father now. Rafiki isn't sure if they'll be male or female, but that doesn't matter to me. What matters is that-"

Scar tuned him out. He had heard what he wanted to hear, and it confirmed his suspicions to a tee. Yet unlike so many years ago, this announcement of cubs didn't fill him with anger and envy. It was a little disheartening that Nuka would never be king, but it was something that needed to be accepted. What he could say, was that he actually felt glad for his nephew. After all that Simba had lost, Scar figured that he deserved something happy for a change.

Of course, he couldn't help but make a mocking gesture with his paw, as Simba rambled on. Even Mufasa was better at speaking in public when he first became king, though Scar had to admit that it was his fault that his nephew was so ill prepared for the position he was in. Yet he was doing all of his other duties well enough, better than the dark maned lion had first expected.

A sudden elbow to the ribs made him gasp audibly, and he was tempted to take a swipe at the offender. Till he saw who it was at least. The fact that she had been standing next to him for so long without him noticing was a bit surprising. Needless to say, and not for the first time in recent days, he found that he was at a complete loss on what to say.

...

The next few weeks came and went. Scar obviously wasn't present for the birth, but he heard the news almost right away. A male and female cub. The female was Simba's golden brown, but cream colored underbelly was definitely from her mother. What shook Scar the most was her eyes. They were a brilliant emerald green. They were the eyes of his late mother. Her name was to be Kiara.

The male had the same color belly as his father Simba, but his pelt was a dark reddish brown. Another train from Uru. His tail tuft was a dark brown, nearly black in color. Simba and Nala called him Chaka.

They were just a few days old, and the presentation was set for later in the morning. Simba even invited him to come to it, but Scar noticed the subtle twitch of his nephews eyebrow when he did so. Something was eating at the young king, and Scar couldn't quite place his paw on it.

At first he had given Simba the typical shrug of the shoulders, but both knew what the real answer was. Scar knew that the whole pride was going to be fawning over the newest set of royal brats, but at least it was something to do. The only other option would be to sit in his cave all day collecting dust. Which brought back to many bad memories for him to consider the idea.

As he was watching the cubs being presented to the kingdom by Rafiki, sitting just a few feet behind Simba, he felt the strangest feeling come over him.

"Thus the cycle is complete." Scar mumbled to himself. "And I've now come full circle."

It was just as the ceremony was concluding, after the cubs were placed next to Simba and Nala that something truly odd began to stir within the former king. He was just a few feet away, when the male cub opened his eyes for the first time, gazing directly into the eyes of his great-uncle. And those little orbs, they were exactly like his brothers. Like Mufasa's.

In that moment, Scar realized something. And that was that no matter what, he would always be there for that cub and his sister. They might not have been his children, but they were family. Which brought him back to something that his mother used to tell him. Something that he had nearly forgotten over the years.

"The worst offense one can ever commit is to shun ones family, to reject them as mere trash." he found himself mouthing out the words unconsciously, which caught his nephews attention.

Simba looked at him. "You say something Scar?"

"I...well..." the older lion looked around the den for a moment, still not realizing what he had actually said. "I said...congratulations nephew regarding the cubs. And both so healthy too...if you need anything, anything at all, you know where to find me." he slowly began tip toeing away. The awkwardness of the moment was getting to be a bit too much for him.

"Right...oh and Scar-" The smaller lion turned around for a moment to face his younger relative. "Thank you for coming to this...believe it or not, it actually means a lot to me. I'm still keeping my eye on you though." still a faint hint of mistrust, but it made the elder feel, dare he say it, happy. But he wasn't going to give Simba the satisfaction of knowing that. So with nothing more than a sarcastic laugh he stalked away, and down the path leading to his cave.

His face turned sour. "I really am losing my mind..." he grumbled to himself. Yet try as he might, he couldn't deny what he had felt.

...

More time passed, with very few things worthy of noting. The future heirs were now just shy of three moons in age, and as bold and inquisitive as any cub their age could ever be.

And to Scar, they were far too reminiscent of a certain red maned lion, well...when that aforementioned lion was their age. "Cubs." he muttered under his breath. "If anything they'll be the cause of my early demise." A faint chuckle as he recalled the promise made to Simba, the one that landed him in this predicament.

"Hey uncle Scar." They even called him uncle. "What is that dark place, where the sun doesn't seem to touch?" That was Kiara. Ever seeking adventure and excitement. A spitting image of her father, at least in personality and attitude. If anything, she was even more of a dare devil than Simba had been at her age.

Scar's face scrunched up. "You mean to tell me that your father never told you?"

"Well, he told me that it was dangerous. Never to go there. But from here, it just looks boring you know?" the young female said.

"And he is absolutely right. When he was your age, he nearly met his end in that place. Trespassing in hyena territory, regardless of being prince has certain dangers associated with it. As you could well imagine. " He swallowed, hoping neither would inquire further on the matter. Or at least not how Simba got the idea to go there.

Chaka sighed. "See Kiara, I told you that place was bad."

"Right," she said. And then mockingly, she quoted her sibling "And if you ever even think of going, I'll tell mom and dad and you'll be grounded forever. Blah, blah, blah."

At least one of them was responsible and had tact.

"Hey, I don't sound like that and you know it!" he growled at his sister.

She huffed, egging him on. "Oh yeah, what are you gonna go about it?"

Not a word further was said. Chaka simply growled and pounced on his older twin.

Scar ran his paw across his muzzle. "Perhaps I thought too soon."

After a moment he turned his attention back to them, finding that Chaka had just pinned his sister. "Ha, pinned ya!"

But the sly smile on here face gave away that all wasn't as it seemed. With a quick movement of her back paws, she flung her brother off of her. Then, with a single bound she leaped on him. Only she made sure to keep his back legs in check. "Now who's the one stuck?"

"No fair sis, you always do that!" Chaka half growled half whined.

"And yet you never learn, little brother. Tell you what, I'll let you up. If you say 'Uncle'." she smiled cockily.

The adult laughed to himself, noting with a hint of sadness at how much their actions reminded him of his own cubhood. _I suppose I'll have to stop this though, entertaining as it is..._ Scar thought.

"That'll be enough you two." he said dryly. Then with a quick movement he picked Kiara up by the scruff, freeing Chaka. Ignoring her protests, he gently sat her down a few feet away.

"Now in all seriousness...promise me that you'll never visit that awful place."

"Sure uncle Scar, we promise." Kiara said, far too innocently for her own good. Chaka rolled his eyes before cuffing her over the back of her head. She glared at her brother, but decided to do nothing further. Besides, she had a far better place in mind to explore. Something better than a drab old elephant graveyard.

"I'll take your word for it." the grown lion said, stretching. "Now I do think it's time to head back to Pride Rock. Only an hour or two before sunset."

"C-mon uncle, can't we stay out a bit later?" Chaka pleaded.

Scar whirled around. "No!" he said, in a far sharper tone than needed. When he saw tears threatening to form in the cubs eyes, he shook his head. "I mean, no. You may not understand why, and perhaps that is for the best right now. But I'm only doing this to keep you both safe. Can't have my favorite niece and nephew in danger. Surely you understand?"

They nodded slowly. Scar then spotted Simba, less than a couple hundred feet off. Probably out spying on him or something. No matter, for once Scar was glad that his nephew was doing so. It was the perfect chance to defuse a tense situation.

"Oh look, I think I see your father over there. Perhaps a little race-" he didn't get the chance to finish the situation, as the duo immediately bolted towards there father. Scar heard Kiara shout out.

"Last one there is a warthogs backside!"

And like that they were off, all prior worries forgotten. "Lucky them..." the former ruler muttered. Cubs had so many distractions, and so few responsibilities.

In the distance, a set of eyes watched intently. With a look of hate, the owner stalked off for parts unknown.

...


	11. Path to Prominence

A/N: Short wait this time, but progress was better than I expected. A bit short on the word count, but the next one will probably top 4,000. Regarding it, I'm sitting right on 2,200 words as of now. That one, probably will be done and posted whenever I'm nearly done with the 13th chapter. So probably by the end of this month, or in the first week of July.

Very odd that I'm updating both this and my DBZ story on the same day, but I digress.

Check out the bottom, as their is another note down there. Contains some interesting stuff.

To the reviews:

Emerald dreamer96: Quite right on most counts, actually. I will clarify one thing though, regarding how lions age in my story. In real life, male lions hit their peak at around 5-6 years of age, lasting till around 10-11. Most don't live past 15, with females averaging a few years longer.

In my story, I've taken some liberties and increased the average lifespan a bit. Males still hit their peak around 5 or so, but they don't really start feeling the effects of aging till they are around 15-16. 20 or so is the average lifespan, with females averaging a couple years longer.

To reveal a bit more, in my mind, Scar is 5 years older than Simba, who is 4 1/2 at the end of the first movie (And in mine where he saves Scar.). A bit of time has passed, and Simba is a couple months from turning 5 . Nala is a few weeks older for reference, with Scar being close to 10. Zira is two years younger than Scar, and Nuka right at a year. Vitani is three months younger than him, and Kovu roughly three months her junior. Making him just a hair under 6 months.

AquitarStar: No. That is all I'll say on the matter though, as she does have plans.

the scarlett shinx: Thank you for the multiple reviews. However, that last one came across as needlessly rude to me. So I would like if you refrained from such talk in the future.

* * *

...

She waited, till a few days had passed. It was important. That way her uncle and brother should have completely forgotten about any mention of adventure.

Kiara looked over both shoulder's, making sure that she wasn't being followed. "Ha. This is going way better than I thought. I've heard how cool this place is supposed to be, and with no tattle tail brother around I can do whatever I want."

"Is that so, sis?"

Kiara froze mid step. "Wha-what're you doing here?"

"Keeping an eye on you. Mom and dad agreed with uncle Scar that you would try something like this. Guess they were right." he looked around, spotting the Zuberi River off in the distance. "We are way to far from home and you know it. Come on Kiara, let's just go back. I promise I won't tell if you do."

His worried expression almost convinced her, but the adventurer in her wouldn't allow for it. "Of course Chaka. Wouldn't want to get in trouble or anything." she said with a laugh, hoping she had him fooled. Momentarily she thought that he was doubting her, but the look vanished.

"Okay, let's hurry up though." Chaka said, beckoning her to follow.

"Right...of course..." she said sweetly. "Go on ahead, the river just looks so pretty right now. I'll be right behind you brother, promise." she winked at him and he nodded.

Chaka turned and started walking. "You know Kiara, for a moment I didn't think I could believe you. I swear though, I'm glad that I won't have to tell on you now...Kiara?" he looked behind him, seeing not even a trail of dust to suggest where his sister went to.

"Not going to freak out...she's just playing a trick. I'll close my eyes and when I open them she'll," he did so. Only when he opened them again, "...be nowhere to be found...great." he said, the sarcasm making him sound very much like his great uncle.

Then the feeling of panic hit him. "This is bad, really bad! Why does she always do this?" He started sprinting as fast as possible in the direction of Pride Rock. He spotted his older cousin. "Hey Nuka!"

"No time to explain, Kiara ran off and we've got to get Scar and my father fast!" The words came out so fast that Nuka had to stop and process everything.

"O-kay. I need you to calm down...now, which way did she go?"

Chaka pointed to the river. "That way, she went that way."

Nuka blanced. "Bad, t-this is bad!" the young adolescent said, growing nervous himself. "That direction is the outlands...we have to get the others...NOW!" he said, with the last word nearly coming out as a roar.

...

Slowly she climbed over some shrubbery. It was so...dead out here. That she couldn't help notice. Not as exciting as she thought it would be. Well, other than fooling her brother she thought with a giggle. But that could be done anywhere.

"And what's so funny Pridelander?" it was a sharp, harsh voice. She turned, and saw another cub glaring at her. He was much bigger than her, with razor sharp teeth bared inches from her face. Instantly she shrunk back in terror.

"Wh-who are you?" she said cautiously. Something about him looked familiar.

"I should be asking you the same thing, actually." he said with a hiss. Then he flashed a devilish grin. "Since you look so curious, I'll tell you. I'm Kovu, soon to be ruler of the Outlands. And you are?" He was right back in her face, muzzle curled into a thin snarl.

"Me?"

"No, that log over there. Yes you moron, who else?"

"Are you always so mean..." she saw the look he was giving, and decided it best to answer. "Well, I'm Kiara. Daughter of King Simba..."

Kovu snarled, pinning her in an instant. "The princess!?" the look faded, replaced by one of boredom and frustration. "What brings a _dainty_ little thing like you so far away from your precious little kingdom?"

She gulped. Slowly she was finding herself becoming irritated at the brashness of this 'Kovu' character. "Maybe if you let me up, I'll tell you."

"Funny, from where I'm standing, I don't think you're in any position to make demands." it wasn't a threat, but the degree of overconfidence displayed was annoying. _Is this what everyone see's when they are around me?_ she questioned herself briefly, before banishing the thought.

Using the same tactic she often did on Chaka, Kiara quickly dug her paws into Kovu's abdomen and flipped him off of her. To her surprise, he landed smoothly on his feet.

"Nice trick. Guess you aren't as soft was what mom's been telling me. Definitely more than I would expect from some pampered little girl."

"I'll show you little," Kiara said, before getting a second look at her opponent. He was easily a third larger than her, and with a lot more muscle. That throw she managed was little more than a fluke. More than likely, he could tear her apart in an instant if he had wanted to.

"On second thought...I could tell you a little about me." she said timidly.

He scoffed. "That's better."

"Well, I have a brother. Chaka. He's always so uptight and bossy, but I know he really only does it because he cares. Of course, "a confident smile crossed her lips. "I'm the tough one. I always beat him."

Kovu laughed. "Tough, could've fooled me." he said. When she growled back he gave a smile. "Just so you know, I was never going to hurt you. Just that there aren't many cubs my age, except Vitani. And she, well never mind that." That was when he noticed Kiara looking at him strangely. She was getting much closer than he was comfortable with. Keeping his claws seethed, he batted at her, missing her face by inches.

"Relax will ya, I was just trying to figure something out." she walked around him, noting his shape and pelt color. Along with the look of his faintly emerging mane. "You look familiar, kind of like someone I know."

Kovu raised an eyebrow, prompting her next response. "Yeah, Nuka does that a lot too."

The older cub's eyes grew wide. "Nuka? As in, Scar's son?"

"

She pulled down her eyelid at him. "Duh, who else? Why, you know him or something?"

Kovu swallowed. "Of course. He's my big brother."

"I knew it!" she declared boldly. "I knew you looked like someone else..."

"I don't remember him that well, and mom talks bad about him whenever his name comes up. I remember that he was always so nice, bit of a coward though." he stomped his foot softly. "But that is the past. He is a traitor to all of us. Living a cozy little life with you Pride Landers. Not a care in the world." yet he didn't sound fully convinced. But Kiara didn't pick up on that.

"That isn't true. Nuka does his fair share, just like uncle Scar!" she took a step towards Kovu in an attempt to look menacing. When he didn't flinch she stopped.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it right now, okay? You're still a stranger to me anyway."

He gave a confused look when she crept towards him. "What, what in the world are you up to?"

She tapped him on his shoulder, earning a shocked growl.

"What the?" he said, cocking his head in confusion. "The hell are you doing?"

She stopped for a moment. "Well, you said you didn't want to talk about any of that, so I thought a game might make you forget about it."

"Game?"

"Yeah, haven't you ever played any before?" She looked surprised.

He nodded. "Well, sort of. But we don't call them games where I live. More like survival lessons."

She sighed. "Guess you're not use to having fun then...well I'll tell you how this one works."

"Fine, since I obviously can't talk you out doing so,"

"See, I tag you, then run away. All you do us have to catch me." she used her paw to show him what she meant.

A knowing look came over him. "Oh, kind of like the laps mother makes us run around the termite mounds. Except without angry wild dogs biting at your heels for being slow. Gotcha!"

Kiara nearly cringed. What kind of parent would do that? Didn't matter now though.

She took a couple steps toward him, before lightly slugging him on the leg. "Tag, you're it!" she bounded off, expecting him to be right behind her. "Hey, this is the part where you're supposed to chase me?"

He gave a sly grin. "Oh right, of course!" He took off after her, running full speed. Despite being faster and in better shape, she managed to keep just a few paces ahead of him. Then he came up with a sneaky idea."Okay, we can stop now...getting a bit tired..."

She complied, slowing up a bit. And when he saw that, he gave a triumphant little roar, catching up to and tackling her in an instant. Once again, she found herself pinned to the ground. This time, it was by someone that was not only stronger, but more skilled as well.

A single swat from her paw sent him rolling to the side, though whether it was earnest or simply acting she couldn't tell.

Picking up till she hit a full on sprint, Kiara could still hear him chasing behind her. But she didn't feel threatened by him any longer. If anything it was some of the best fun she had had in quite some time. The chase led them to the edge of a small embankment, overlooking the river. Whether it was part of the Outlands or Pridelands was anyone's guess.

Claws scrapped over rock, and Kiara stopped right on the edge. "Whew, that was close..." Kovu wasn't able to stop, and he crashed right into the lioness cub, sending the both tumbling over the edge.

She started flailing in the water, trying with all her might to stay afloat. "Help, I'm not meant for this!" A weight appeared underneath, and she nearly screamed until she realized it was merely Kovu.

"You can't even swim?" he gave a snort. "Talk about being a baby."

He pushed her onto a small log, before climbing up himself.

"I was perfectly capable of getting out of that myself. I'm not some helpless little-"

She stopped when she felt him place a paw on her shoulder. "Well if that is true, then you wouldn't mind me doing this?" he gave a slight shove, nearly knocking her back into the river.

Kiara screamed, before digging her claws firmly into the log. "Okay okay, I take it back. I really can't swim, so thanks I guess for saving me."

"Indeed. Probably should work on that sometime, what if something like this happened and no one was around?" Kovu said, doing an impression of a drowning cub as he spoke.

Right then, the log shifted, and that was when the two cubs realized that the log, was not a log at all. A small drop of blood oozed from the claw mark on its back, as it raised it's head above the water. When it turned its head and hissed loudly, both realized just how much trouble they were in.

"You know, I think this is the part where we should run!"

Kiara nodded at him right before they bolted, running down the length of the crocodiles body and leaping onto a stone. Several more of the reptiles were emerging, snapping at the young lions as they passed by.

Finally they reached land, both struggling to climb up to the top. Kovu being the stronger of the two, managed to reach the edge with relative ease. "C'mom, hurry up." he looked, only to see her barely hanging on to some roots. Claws slipping, Kovu knew Kiara wouldn't be able to hold on long. His mothers training told him to forget her and save himself, but his sense of compassion told him other wise.

_Exactly what my dad would do!_ he thought.

"This will hurt, but don't let go!" he grabbed onto her paws, trying no to dig his claws in too deeply as he did so. She yelped in pain, nearly losing her grip. Before that would have happened, he heaved, pulling her up and over before any of the crocodiles could grab her.

Right away she set to nursing her wounded paws. "Did you really have to do that like that?" She complained once she was done licking the wounds.

"If I hadn't, I probably wouldn't have been able to get you up in time. Or would you rather I have just let you fall back down and get eaten?"

"Jerk." she said half teasingly.

"Stuck up royal-" he paused. "Wait, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Kiara said in confusion.

A lioness stalked through the dead grass. "Kovu? What are you doing out...wait a minute." She said, eyeing the female cub. "What do we have here?

You're Simba's daughter, aren't you?"

Kiara gulped, before nodding. This lioness was giving her a very nasty feeling. "Ah yes. The princess. Aren't we a bit far from home...how very unfortunate. For you."

She grinned, before bracing herself to pounce.

...

Chaka was doing his best to trail his older relatives, but it was plain as day that he was quickly falling far behind. His father, and uncle both gave explicit orders that he return to Pride Rock immediately with Nuka. But it wasn't only Kiara who inherited a rebellous streak.

The younger twin just happened to consider himself to be a bit more strategic on when he chose to disobey. Nuka was supposed to be his escort, but instead found himself roped into following his younger cousin.

Nuka huffed, easily jogging alongside Chaka. "Can't b-believe I let you talk me into this. I know you're just as worried about your s-sister as everyone else, but if dad and Simba run into trouble I doubt we would help the situation much."

The cub slowed down a bit, considering what Nuka said for a moment. "But, what could be a threat to them? They're both grown, so they can handle anything right?"

Memories flashed through Nuka's mind. Painful, terrifying events. "N-no, that isn't true. There are things that can be harmful to them, a-and not just physically either."

"What'ya mean, not physically?"

Both had slowed to a steady walk and the older sighed sadly. "You're too young to hear the full story, but I'll say this much. Imagine if something happened to either of our d-dads. They would feel the exact same if the same happened to us. That is why they worry all the time, and why they never let us go far, not because they're mean, but because they really do care."

Chaka nodded, thinking it over. "I think I see what you mean."

A noise quickly caught the attention of each of them. It was coming from up in a tree, though neither could figure what it was. All Nuka knew was that it was better to be safe then sorry.

"Chaka, stay back a few feet. I-I have an idea." he gave his best attempt at a roar, which came out more as a throaty growl than anything else. It was a start at least. And it was more than enough to spook whatever was in the branches, because immediately after a small cat like figure fell out and landed with a thud.

It looked like a lion cub, at least from what Nuka figured. But something was off. It was a bit leaner, and it's legs were shorter relative to it's size. The spots marking it were also far more pronounced that they should have been on a cub that age.

Cautiously he stalked over, prodding it softly with his front paw. "Hey, are you okay?"

The eyelids fluttered for a moment, but once the younger feline spotted the male adolescent, it leaped back in fright. Of course with the tree to it's back, it didn't have far to go.

"Hey, relax. We're friendly, promise." Chaka said, giving an awkward smile.

His older relative chimed in a second later. "Yeah, sorry about scaring you, b-but you kind of freaked us out moving those branches like that."

"You-you mean you don't wanna hurt me?" It was a soft voice, without a doubt female.

"No, of course not. My, name i-is Nuka."

Chaka hesitated, unsure on how to react to a female outside of his own pride. "And...I'm Chaka. My father is the king of these lands." he said bashfully. "What's yours?"

The spotted cub took a deep breath. "Mine...my name is Animafsi."

Nuka raised an eyebrow. "...Animafsi. That doesn't really s-sound like a lions name, no offense."

"That's because it isn't. Only one of my parents actually was a lion. My mother..." she broke down, sobbing violently.

* * *

A/N Part 2:

Don't usually do these, but I didn't want to spoil anything so soon. I'm simply providing the meaning for the name of the OC, and how I came up with it.

It has roots in two languages, Latin and Swahili. ánimam, which is Latin for soul, and Nafsi, Swahili for the same word. It is a portmanteau of sorts, and it will tie into other things later. So it does have significant meaning. So with that done, by all means, tell me what you think in a review.


	12. The Missing Piece

A/N: And making good progress. CH13 is past the halfway point as well, give or take. Expecting it to be done by or before the 10th of July.

Very glad for all the reviews. Speaking of which:

IhateMarySue'sSoooooMuch: Thanks. I aim to write both of them in a better fashion. They will have a lot in common with their movie counterparts, to be sure, but they will be far more developed. More depth. As for the question, yes she is a hybrid.

Emerald dreamer96: Glad I managed to catch your interest with how I wrote them. Chaka and Nuka will have big parts to play as well. Speaking of something else, I do believe I've neglected to review your newest chapter. As soon as I'm able, I'll rectify that.

Guest: Indeed, she is half lion, half leopard.

Stay tuned for the second part of the A/N at the bottom of the story. More character explanations.

Without further ado, here is chapter 12:

*Don't forget to review at the bottom*

* * *

Kiara closed her eyes, already expecting the worst. But instead of claws or teeth ripping into her, all she felt was a rush of air before hearing a thud.

Peeking one eye open, she saw her uncle tackle the strange lioness, pinning the female to the ground in an instant. And he looked positively murderous.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're trying to accomplish here Shida, but you best start explaining yourself. Or else." Scar had her held tight to the ground, with his bared teeth right above her throat.

At the sound, another lioness came bounding out of the bushes.

And flanking Scar, was his nephew, the meerkat and warthog who raised him, and Nala.

The red maned lion's lip curled slightly in disgust, eyes more focused on the other newcomer than the one Scar was threatening. "Zira."

The red eyed lioness narrowed her eyes at the king, only to give the other male a look of shock. "Simba, and...Scar?"

"Timon, Pumba." the meerkat said in a sarcastic tone. "Now that everyone's antiquated, get the hell out of our pride lands!"

"Fool." she hissed, taking a step towards the duo. "Obviously you haven't realized where you are, this is the Outlands, meaning you are the ones trespassing. "

She turned to Simba, giving a sinister grin. "I would pay in blood, is that not right, Simba?

Yet I wonder, does the reverse also apply for you?" She took a step towards him, only for Scar to step in her path.

"Zira, this is madness. Or have you forgotten the words between us a few short moons back?" he said, struggling to keep his tone in check.

She stood, mouth agape for several seconds. "No, you are the rightful king. Are you really going to let this wretched child take all that you fought and suffered for away from you?"

Zira growled, not giving him time to answer. "Regardless of what your wishes are, I'm fully prepared to act in your best interest. Our best interests, whether or not you realize what those still are."

"No, you leave my dad alone!" Kiara stepped in front of her father in a protective manner.

"I could rip you to shreds in an instant girl, out of the way!" Zira said, as her claws slowly extended.

Kovu pushed Kiara out of the way, getting a growl from the other cub for his effort, which he ignored. "Mother, stop this. Please, even if Simba really is bad, I think Kiara is pretty fun to be around."

The lioness paused, considering several different thoughts. "Fun, you think a daughter of Simba is fun to be around?" she spat harshly.

"Zira!" Scar roared, gaining the attention of everyone. "Our son is correct you know. This needs to end. Stand down, I will not ask you again."

Gears were turning in her head, and plans changing. Perhaps this could be used to her advantage after all. "Yes, perhaps that may be so. At least for the moment. Kovu, Shida, let's go. Now!"

"Kovu." the older male said, walking over to his son. "Don't ever forget who you are." he leaned in, whispering so that only his son could hear. "No matter what, do not allow the darkness to take hold of you. Stay strong my son. And make sure your sister does the same, I love both of you, more than you could ever know." he nuzzled him affectionately before walking over to Kiara.

"And consider this a warning Zira, Shida. If you ever threaten or attempt to harm either of Simba's children ever again, you will pay. Very, very dearly."

Zira sighed, giving her former mate a frustrated glance. "And so this is what we've come to. Farewell, my love."

...

Nuka and Chaka both gave a collective gasp. After giving her a few minutes to calm herself, the prince approached the other cub.

"Wait, wait hold on, what do you mean?" he asked bluntly. "You said your mother was a lioness, so...what was your father?"

"Leopard. It's strange, I know. But apparently true love doesn't stop on account of species. Whatever that means, it's what my father always told me."

Nuka swallowed, trying to figure out how to word his thoughts. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to t-them?"

The hybrid cub sniffled. "Mother was a rogue, rejected by her own pride. My father, well he was part of a small Leap of other leopards. The leader actually."

Nuka nodded in understanding. "Kind of like a king then, right?"

In the background, Chaka wondered out-loud to himself what a 'Leap' was supposed to be.

She nodded. "Sort of. Only a little different from you lions. We lived outside the pride lands, near a forest. So we kind of had our own little area all to ourselves. I don't know how any others work, but in ours once the old leader dies the group votes on a new one. Sometimes it's one of the previous rulers children, but not always."

"Back to what happened. I don't remember a lot, just that we were attacked. I never saw who or what, all I remember seeing was my mother falling. I tried to get her to move, but nothing worked. That was when my father found my brother and I, and ordered us to flee. I'm still not sure what happened, or if I even remember the way back."

The two males paused. "You have a brother, what happened to him?" Nuka said, finding himself actually more concerned then before.

"We were separated not too long ago. He was older than me, probably close to your age." She pointed to the elder of the two.

Nuka shook some dust out of his growing mane. "How old are you then, you're not even as big as Chaka o-or Kiara...yet you're acting so grown up."

Animafsi pinched her eyes shut for a moment. "I was always raised to act in a dignified manner. Normal cubhood, just a bit more on the learning side. Then came the attack, and well...that forced me and Nusidae to grow up even faster. It all happened about twenty or so dag's ago."

"Right...but what in the world is a dag?" asked Chaka.

The female cub tilted her head, before a look of understanding crossed her face. "Oh, of course. We have a lot of different words then you I guess. But a dag means a day for us, so it was pretty close to a single month or moon cycle for you. Which makes me about four and a half moons old."

Chaka looked at his cousin and back to the female. "Guess your so small then cause you're half leopard? Makes sense..."

Nuka nodded his head in agreement. She was definitely a bit smaller than the twins, and a bit thinner. But that could have easily been from lack of food. Another idea struck him, and he hoped that his father and older cousin would agree to it. "Say, since it seems like y-you're all on your own, w-would you like to live with u-us? If my dad and King S-Simba say it's okay?" his stuttering was improving, yet Nuka found himself a bit nervous. More that Simba and his father would refuse the request.

The prince nodded, agreeing with his older relative. "I think that's a great idea. It'll be someone else to play and hang with, two if we find her brother." he stopped, considering something. "You know, despite how you act sometimes, you're pretty smart Nuka. Maybe you should be king instead of me. Or we could rule together, wouldn't that be great!"

A stiff smile, and then Nuka laughed. "I'm not so sure...I mean, my d-dad did say that he and M-Mufasa-" he pushed the story of his uncles death aside, as well as all the images threatening to pop into his mind."-that they were supposed to rule, till something came up. One day I'll ask my dad and Simba, but not right now. I'm m-more worried a-about how they will accept Ani."

He groaned, shaking his head at the elder male. "Ani, really?" a brief smile flashed across his face though. "It is kind of cute though..." he clasped a paw over his mouth, earning a playful prod from Nuka and a blush from the girl cub.

"Well, I guess we won't be waiting long, cause here comes my dad and uncle Scar." Chaka said, wanting everyone to forget his previous statement.

The two males were coming over the hill, with a very dejected Kiara behind them, with her mother walking alongside her.

Simba was still a bit surprised at how Scar handled the situation. Moreover, that he actually took his side. A growing part of him was also thinking, that perhaps he was wrong in banishing Zira and the rest as he did. The silence between the two was growing tense, and the younger male was tired of it.

"Scar, I really am thankful for what you did. If it wasn't for you, I might...I might have lost her." the king ground his teeth together, willing himself not to lose his composure.

A soft groan was audible. "Please nephew, spare me the sentimental banter. She is family, and I already told you I would do anything and everything in my power to keep her and Chaka safe."

His opposite nodded. "I realize that now. But it's still so weird, to see you so concerned about family, and to be so...protective." he mentally wanted to claw himself when he saw the look Scar gave him.

"You would think that wouldn't you? Naive hairball..." he took a deep breath, calming himself. "Though I would suppose you still have every reason to view me in that light. None the less, much as I often detest your company, I want still what is best for you and your children."

Apparently Simba was as surprised at those words as Scar himself was. Enough so that he was trying to figure a way to bring up a topic that had been bothering him for a long time.

"Say, I've been wondering something. You once mentioned something about ruling together, with my father. What changed Scar, was it something he did that drove you...to do what you did?" he made sure to phrase that as carefully as possible. Kiara still didn't know much about Scar's past, and that was how it was going to be for a long time. Plus, there was that other matter.

Scar eyed him carefully, before growling almost imperceptibly. "Your timing is most impeccable, has anyone ever told you that?"

Simba was about to tell him to just forget about it, when Nala motioned for them to stop. "Isn't that Chaka and Nuka up there?

I thought they were supposed to head back to Pride rock." She squinted, spotting the third feline. "Is that, is that another cub with them?"

Scar and Simba both looked, with the older male nodding in affirmation.

"I think so. Doesn't look like anyone's cubs, at least not from our pride." Simba said. "In fact, she looks a bit too thin to be a lion cub."

Scar was just as puzzled. "It would seem that way, wouldn't it...might I suggest picking up the pace, since it looks like they have something that they wish to talk about?"

Nala picked up Kiara by the scruff, and sped up to a brisk walk to keep up with the males.

"Dad, hey dad?" Scar heard his son shout out excitedly. He began running, only to trip over his own feet. By the time he was standing again, Scar was already right next to him, pressing a paw to his temple.

The older male reached down with the same paw, and pointed at the strange cub. "I presume this, is what you're so eager to tell me about. Well, out with it, because my patience is wearing thin. Today has been very trying..."

...

After a few minutes, Nuka finished the story, with Chaka occasionally chiming in to flesh out the bits that he thought his cousin missed. Animafsi merely nodded shyly, not wanting to get too close or even make eye contact with the adult males. Strangely, she felt more comfortable around Nala. Somehow, something seemed very familiar about her.

"And, so that is pretty much it. So...d-do you t-think, since she has nowhere e-else to go that she could possibly stay with u-us?" Nuka finished, acting a bit more timid than was usual. A part of him was terrified that he was going to make his father even angrier than he already seemed.

That however, wasn't exactly the case. Scar had started off irate, but his features had already begun to relax. And he actually noted that he felt some pangs of sympathy for the lioness, or whatever he was supposed to call such a hybrid. "If I were king," he glanced over to Simba. "I would definitely consider this. Regrettably, I no longer have such authority. You'll just have to ask him on the matter. Though knowing my nephew, I doubt he'll actually turn her out."

The black maned male stalked towards his nephew, and whispered a few words in Simba's ear. He nodded, before looking at his mate. "I don't think there is a problem with that, what about you Nala, what do you say?"

She turned to the hybrid cub, and back to Simba. "I can't think of a single good reason not to. Her family might not even be alive, and on her own..." Nala looked back down, looking at Animafsi as she curled up near her paws. "We should welcome her, at least until we figure out what happened to the rest of her family.

And if the worst has come to pass, I'll gladly accept her as one of us." As the new queen inspected her a bit closer, some of her facial features looked somewhat familiar. She remembered her own father, though he hadn't been seen for quite some time. It was faint, but there was some resemblance between the two. But for the moment, going against her natural curiosity, Nala opted to not press the issue.

Leaning down, till her face was less than a foot from the cub, Nala tried her best to smile. "Is that fine with you? You've been around leopards your whole life from what Nuka told us, so a pride of lions won't make you too nervous will it?"

Ani shook her head timidly. "I think I can manage. I've been around lionesses before, but never grown males. My brother was the closest thing, and he wasn't any older then..." she paused, thinking of the name."...then the one who found me. Nuka, right?"

The aforementioned nodded. "So, I guess w-we're all headed back then, the pride sure is in for a s-surprise I would think."

Simba quickly shook his head in confirmation. "Yeah, we probably should. Besides, I still need to have a talk with my daughter when we get home." his tone became a bit sharp as he looked down at Kiara reproachfully.

Kiara turned to her brother, whispering to where only he should be able to hear. "I'm in trouble aren't I?"

"Trouble doesn't even begin to cover it." That time it was Scar doing the talking. Yet very little anger was showing. Worry and disappointment were the predominant emotions that his brief glance conveyed.

...

"I can't believe you would do something like that. You deliberately disobeyed me, Kiara. I've told you so many times, never go there." His tone was level, but the way he was pacing back and forth gave away how agitated the male was.

Kiara gave a pouting look. "But you say that about everything. You, mom, uncle Scar. Everyone. Nobody ever wants me to have any fun."

Simba sighed, sitting down in the grass. Pride Rock was only a few hundred feet to his back. "I came so close to losing you today. That is why we tell you these things, not to keep you from having fun, but to make sure you're safe. I should have expected this though, I was the same way when I was your age.

I know you want to have fun, to enjoy being young. But you can't keep doing things that put yourself in so much danger. Can't say that it doesn't get a bit boring here at times, but there are much better ways of keeping amused than always running off on the next thrill seeking adventure."

"Kiara, I love you and your brother more than you could ever know. That is why I, and the others worry so much about you two. If anything ever happened to either of you, I don't know what I'd do..." a few tears slid down the kings cheek.

Seeing this, really made Kiara stop and think of things a bit differently. It was one thing to risk her own life, but it hurt her so much to see her father like this. Another thought struck her. What if something terrible happened to him or someone else on account of her antics?

She wiped a the tears away, before leaning in an nuzzling him softly. "You know, I think I get it now. And, I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me. Maybe one day, you could take me out with you and Scar, when you patrol the boundaries. Probably lots of cool stuff out there, right?"

Simba nodded, laughing slightly. "Not as much as you think, but yes, we have run across some pretty weird things. That will have to wait, till your a bit older. And less grounded."

She huffed, before leaping playfully and latching onto her fathers man, sending both tumbling to the ground in laughter.

...

The following day, Simba and Nala informed the pride of Animafsi. Most of the lionesses seemed supportive, but a few didn't quite like the idea of allowing a hybrid of sorts into the pride. That was frustrating to Simba. He had never encountered anything like her, having not been around any of his own species even till Nala found him.

It seemed a bit strange to him, but he couldn't find it in him to condemn it. There were several leopards in the kingdom still, and most of them were pleasant to deal with. So this seeming prejudice that he was encountering was both a bit shocking and appalling.

"Even Scar, for all his faults has no problem with her or her parentage. So what is it that they don't like?" He swatted at a particularly annoying fly in an effort to get rid of some of his frustration. "Speak of the devil.."

Simba looked and saw his uncle resting in the grass, a few hundred feet off. It wasn't time yet to check the borders, so the young male figured he could at least try and see if his uncle had any advice. Whether it would be good advice, that remained to be seen.

Scar looked up, hearing the others noisy foot falls. He sat up slowly, stretching his front legs as he did so. "Simba..Hmm, whatever is prompting you to grace me with your presence. Especially at this hour."

He rolled his eyes at the sarcasm. As bad as it was, Simba found that he was actually getting used to it. "It...it's the lionesses. Well, some of them at least. They seem to have an issue with Ani...I think it's because she is only half lion or something. What right do they have to look down on her just because of that?"

The one with the black mane rubbed his chin ruefully with a single paw. "A very complicated thing. Something that has no easy solution I'm afraid. There are, and this is not limited just to our species mind you, individuals that do not like intermingling with other species. Prejudice is a very complex thing, an enigma of sorts. Some view their kind as superior to all else. You saw that with those hyenas we fought at the gorge. Others, can hold another type of animal in contempt...not necessarily seeing them as inferior, but as something to not trust. To hate.

Beyond that, some hold a mix of the two views. Those are the ones to watch the most."

Simba nodded his head. "Yeah, I think I get all that. I just don't know how to solve it.

Scar stood, yawning. "From experience, there really isn't much you can do. Not directly. Either they will come around, or they won't. You could toss the cub out, but you and I both know that would never solve anything. Now enough of this. I do believe it prudent that we get a good start on checking the borders." He started to walk away, but was stopped. Already the dark maned lion could see a pattern forming.

"Actually, I was thinking that we actually walk together. Since we are getting an early start, we should still be back by mid afternoon." the king said. He wasn't sure what prompted such a thought on his part.

"If you insist." Scar drawled out in a weary tone. "Whatever puts that frail mind of your's at ease, nephew."

Simba growled softly, wondering if doing so was the right idea.

...

Kiara looked at Animafsi, more in confusion than anything else. Of course she had already seen the hybrid cub several times in the past couple of days, but had been too deep in thought to actually interact with her. No one had been very forthcoming with regards to her, so the princess was literally in the dark regarding the newcomer.

"I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like you before. Your father really was a leopard then, so weird." it was stated flatly, Kiara had no idea what the other cub had been through. Though there was no ill intent on the part of Simba's daughter, the words still stung.

Animafsi shook her head up and down meekly.

"So what all happened to you, before you ended up here?"

"I'd really rather not talk about it. Not right now." The words came out sounding defensive, and for whatever reason, Animafsi didn't quite feel comfortable talking with Kiara.

Kiara sighed. "Well, if you don't want to do that, do you at least want to play a game?" she circled around the other female, considering the various ways she could subdue her. With a leap the princess landed on the the hybrids back, earning a startled hiss.

"Ha, gotcha!" When she saw the fear in Animafsi's eyes, Kiara lowered her face till it was inches away from her.

"What's wrong, cat got your tongue?"

The words caused a rush of memories and emotions to surge through Ani, and with a jerk she freed one of her front paws and smacked Kiara hard enough to make her see stars. Breathing heavily, she began shrinking back, mumbling incoherently to herself.

"Hey, what's the matter with you?!" shrieked Kiara. "I was just trying to play, are you out of your mind?"

By then Animafsi had managed to calm down slightly, enough that she realized what she had done. "I...you were someone else...my mother..." she broke down, tears streaming down her face.

"Stop being such a baby. Acting just like a newborn, I don't even know why my mom and dad let you stay." her eyes widened, unable to believe what she just said.

Those words were like a slap to the face to the older cub, and she turned and started walking away at a brisk pace. Stunned, Kiara wasn't even able to utter a word.

"Good going sis." her head snapped around, into the scowling face of her brother. "You have no idea what happened to her, and you still acted like that. Somethings never do change." he shot Kiara a bitter look, before walking off in the direction he saw Animafsi headed. She moved her mouth as if to say an apology, but her brother was gone long before the words left her lips.

...

How far she had gotten, she had no idea. All she figured was that she wasn't really welcome. Several of the lionesses had been giving her dirty looks, and she swore she heard some mumbling things like "filthy hybrid" and "abomination" behind her back.

"I've never even done anything to them. So why do they hate me so much." Then their was the incident just a short while ago with the princess. Simba seemed nice to her, but Animafsi was afraid of how he would react when he learned that she had assaulted his daughter. For all she knew, he would kick her out for that alone. Of course, her mind was playing tricks on her. For that instant, it wasn't Kiara that she saw, it was one of those...things. Whatever they were, that attacked her family. Something was coming back to her though, she remembered one thing, and that was that they were ugly, mangy creatures.

With a groan, she flopped down next to a small tree. A snap of a twig alerted her to the presence of another. By the time the other came into view, Animafsi was already on her feet and fully prepared to run should the need arise.

"Chaka?" her posture relaxed, and a thin smile came over her face.

* * *

A/N redux:

Obviously I'm doing this because I didn't wish to reveal anything till after the chapter was over.

His name, Nusidae, is a portmanteau of Nusu, Swahili for Half, and Dimidiæ, which is Latin for half. With him being the older, put them together and you get half soul. Which has more than one meaning. Dag is also the latin word for day.

But enough of that.


	13. Prejudice and Pride

A/N: It's that time again folks.

Definitely some interesting things going on. Of course you will have to read to find them out. Not going to spoil anything in the notes.

I plan on replying to each and everyone of my reviewers. But not in the normal way. From here on, I think I'll stick to PM's. More private, and it allows for a longer discussion. Not only that, but I think it is a bit more professional as well. It also keeps it so that the stories word count isn't falsely inflated.

At the end, I'll be posting the name translations for my OC's.

Till then, read away. Don't forget to review either. I accept all reviews :) .

* * *

He was panting slightly, from running to catch up with her. For a moment Chaka was afraid that he had startled her to the point of panic. That obviously wasn't the case when he saw her looking at him the way she was.

"Finally caught you." breathing was getting a bit easier now. "Sure can move fast when you want to."

Her smile faded, and she looked away. "You're wasting your time. I don't think anyone wants me around. Not even your sister does."

His eyes lit up, as if a fire was now burning within them, "You know that's not true. Both mom and dad care. Even uncle Scar talks nice about you, and he usually doesn't do that for anyone. And Kiara...well she isn't that bad. I don't think she meant all that, it wouldn't be like her to be that mean."

"But some of the others, the lionesses...they hate me. Or at least they hate what I am." Ani said dejectedly. "I am different, I know it. Not being full blooded...it really is a curse sometimes."

Chaka shook his head. "I think your wrong. They are the ones wrong for thinking like that, not you. Besides, I think that it makes you stand out. In a good way." he turned away, trying to hide the small blush he had coming over him.

Three shapes came sauntering out of the grass all at once, taking both cubs by surprise. He recognized them as members of the pride, feeling suddenly relieved. A feeling that Ani did not share.

"Hello there, hybrid filth. _Never _expected to find you here." The words came from a lioness called Kiruhu. One of the older females in the pride, she was still healthy and fit despite the passage of time. "Really thought you could just, fit in, be accepted. What a delusion indeed." she hissed. "What do you suppose we should do with her Kakasi?"

She was younger, though not by a significant amount. Dark colored, with a white, crescent shaped pattern running alongside her right ear. "We could beat her, chase her off. I think that's a fair price for her to pay." a smile crossed her lips.

"So, what'll it be my sweet little cub?" the first purred, so sickeningly sweet that it made the both of her companions fur stand slightly on end. "No one else is around, so I think something more would suite my mood. How about...an execution?"

Both cubs, gulped. Even the other two lionesses seemed slightly taken aback. "I'm not so sure this is what I signed on for." muttered the third one.

"Don't be such a coward Mfuasi, you knew this could have happened." Kakasi said angrily. Inwardly, she wasn't all that keen on outright murder, but there was a point that needed proven.

"No, I won't let you do that. I...I'm the prince, that means you have to listen to me!" Chaka shouted, borrowing a small portion of his sisters bravado.

He was met with silence from the younger females, but Kiruhu laughed in his face. "Prince Chaka...I would love to do that, really. But her very existence is an insult to our kind. So do yourself a favor, and leave. Wash your paws of the entire thing." her voice lowered several octaves. "While you have the chance."

In a flash she shoved Chaka to the side, before slashing at Ani. The female cub saw the lunge, and moved just enough to avoid a fatal blow. Still her entire left side was cut deep, almost to the bone.

Chaka growled, before latching onto Kiruhu's paw. Roaring in rage and flailing her foot, she managed to dislodge his tiny teeth. With another stroke, claws raked across the side of his face.

"Kiruhu, what the hell are you doing?" the darker lioness shrieked.

"He is the prince, are you trying to get us exiled!" Mfuasi hissed, practically in hysterics. Then, more quietly, "This was wrong...all wrong...I'm so sorry.."

A paw caught her across the face, causing her to stagger back. "Stupid. We've gone this far now, like it or not you're all in on it now. Neither can be afforded the chance to live...so if I can't count on you gutless cowards then I'll finish the job myself." her tongue ran out over her lips hungrily. Almost methodically, she stalked over to the two cubs. Ani had climbed to her feet, and was nervously shaking the prince. "Come on, you have to get up now, come on.." her legs nearly gave out, as blood streamed from the raw gashes on her side.

"It ends, now!" Kiruhu raised her paw. But before she could bring it down on either, a roar sounded off, and a dark blur slammed into her side.

In an instant she rolled to her feet, and looked at her attacker. "Well...if it isn't you. Nuka, you really are a piece of work aren't you." venom oozed with each word, and she narrowed her eyes.

"How could you be so foolish?" the former heir growled as he stared defiantly at the lioness. "Trying to kill an innocent cub, and for what?" he said, his characteristic stutter all but gone. He wasn't much over half her size, but that didn't trouble the adolescent much. Not with two other lives on the line.

"Not nearly as foolish as you. Barely more than a cub yourself, and here you are trying to take on three grown lionesses. I can see why Zira hated you so much." the words stung, and Nuka fought back tears at the painful memories that tried to resurface.

Part of him wanted nothing more than to shrink back in terror, and he might have even done do. But one glance at his cousins prone form, and the injuries on Ani were enough for him. "I don't c-care. They did nothing to you!" he lept towards the ringleader, but was smacked to the ground with a quickly blow to the temple.

With a groan, he rolled in time to avoid being pinned. Both of the other female lions looked on, unwilling to add another strike against themselves.

Nuka sank his jaws into Kiruhu's flank, before taking a swipe to the shoulder. He fell back, panting heavily.

She merely grinned at him. "Better than I expected from such an idiot. But really, what were you trying to do. Obviously you can't beat me." A confident smile flashed across her face.

"Wasn't trying to." Nuka laughed. "J-just needed to stall."

"What?" a massive paw caught her across the face, sending her crashing to the ground. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the furious look marring the king's features.

Actually terrified, she still opened her mouth to speak, but a deafening roar from Simba ensured her silence.

"What is the meaning of this!?" he looked over to his son, and his expression grew very dark. Like he wanted to rip her throat out, but by thinnest thread was keeping himself in check. "Chaka!" Simba ambled over to him, nudging him gently with his nose and licking the wounds on his face.

The rise and fall of his chest confirmed that he was alive, and to the kings great relief, his eyes fluttered open. "D-dad...is she okay..."

Simba nodded. "Yes, everything is going to be fine now. Save your strength, I'll take care of the rest."

As he turned to address the three his face contorted, and a snarl threatened to form on his muzzle. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip all of you apart!"

Kiruhu looked around, and saw that Simba was the only other grown lion around. As long as the other two backed her up, even he would stand no chance. A smirk returned to her face. "Aren't we the self righteous one? What are you going to do now, did you forget you were out numbered. I deeply _regret_ that your son was injured, but it would have never happened had he not insisted on protecting that worthless half-breed cur." she allowed her own teeth to go on display. "In fact, we could forget this whole thing ever happened. If you let me finish what I started with that thing." her nose curled in disgust.

"I've had enough, this is crazy." Mfuasi said, and she timidly backed away from the other two.

A second roar sounded, and a second dark maned lion came screeching to a halt mere feet from Simba. He looked over at Nuka, and growled when he saw the scratches and cuts on his body. When he saw both Chaka and Ani's wounds, his blood practically started boiling as the more hate driven parts of his persona threatened to rise up.

"Took you long enough." Simba muttered to his uncle. Not that he wasn't glad to have the back up.

Scar paid no mind to the younger's sharp comments, and instead focused on the three lionesses. "I'll only ask this once. Which one of you did all this. Start talking or else you will all suffer." the look in his eyes bordered on madness, with Simba finding himself thankful that at least it wasn't directed at him.

Both Kakasi and Mfuasi inched away. In the center, Kiruhu tried her best to shrink back. This was not what she counted on, without help she could be ripped to pieces in under a minute if they chose to do so.

"Kiruhu. I knew you were never the most honest or upstanding of lionesses, but I didn't expect this from you. Out of everyone, you were one of the most vocal supporters when I allowed the hyenas in."

His eyes narrowed and Scar gave a derisive snort. " Irregardless of that matter, I for one don't care about an explanation at this point. Were it not for Simba being here...well let us just say the vultures would be very well fed by the time I was through. If you catch my meaning."

His red maned relative interjected, not wanting Scar to get to carried away. Not just yet. "As I see it, I should exile each and every last one of you. So unless anyone can come up with a damn good reason for me to show any mercy, that will be my judgement. Except you..." Simba pointed to the largest of the lionesses. "Anyone can see that you were the one in charge of this, and I know for a fact that you were the one to hurt both my son and Animafsi. Consider it a blessing that you're _only_ getting exiled."

A gust of wind kicked up, making his mane billow and twist like an open flame. "What are you waiting for, go now!" Simba roared.

"As for the two of you, what reason is there for me to not render the same verdict?"

Mfuasi spoke up first. "Neither me or Kakasi knew she was going to take it this far. I didn't even think she was going to hurt her, much less that."

"That is true. Much as I dislike what the girl cub is, I had no wish to kill her." said the dark colored female.

"Nuka, you were there." the golden lion said. "Is what they spoke the truth?"

"It is. Neither of them wanted to be a part of it when s-she attacked me either. From what I saw, it w-was only Kiruhu that actually wanted to hurt anyone. And you saw it when they refused to back her when they c-could have ganged up on you." was what Nuka uttered in response.

He mulled about it for a moment. "Given the circumstances...I will allow the two of you to stay. You will be under constant watch though, till I say otherwise."

Kakasi shook her head. "Not to spurn your generous offer, your majesty. But Kiruhu is my...companion of sorts. Someone needs to keep her in line and out of trouble...so I think I will go and try to catch up with her."

Simba blinked a few times in surprise. "Fine. Do as you wish. Might be for the best anyway."

She nodded, before turning to walk off. "Simba. I am terribly sorry for what happened to Chaka. I never wanted him to get hurt in any way. So I want you to know that I wish him and..._her_ well. Goodbye." she said without so much as glancing over her shoulder.

Before she even got ten feet, Simba was checking his son over. The wounds were deep, but not fatal. So long as they got Rafiki to tend to him soon, they would probably be fine. With a gentle movement, he lifted Chaka up and onto his back. The cub was fully conscious, and groaned painfully.

"Think you can hang on like that, son?" the king asked him.

Chaka dug his paws in, getting a firm grip on his father's thick mane. "Yeah...I think so. How is Ani doing?" for some reason, he felt more concerned about her than himself. Strange.

He nearly fell off Simba's back when he heard her voice. "I'm fine. You're hurt a lot worse though..." she looked at him, seeing how deep the gash was. Her nose scrunched up at the thick scent of his blood. " But you were really brave..thank you so much."

She saw Simba looking at her, and she started to shrink down. "King Simba...I'm so sorry, it was all my fault and I never meant-" her rambling stopped when she saw him shaking his head, a thin smile on his lips.

"Don't blame yourself. She was the one that came after you first...so I don't want to hear that from you anymore. I hate that he is hurt, but I am proud of my son for doing the right thing. I also find it very touching at how concerned you are. Makes me think..."he trailed off.

Chaka flushed. "Daaaaaad!"

...

Kiara anxiously waited, pacing back and forth. She had gotten Nuka almost right away, and managed to tell her mother as well what happened. Nala was not pleased with her behavior towards Animafsi. Any further punishment though, was going to be left up to her father.

Perplexedly, the young cub agreed. The way she had acted...it made her really take a look at herself, and how she acted to the other cubs. It was something she never wanted to think about herself, but Kiara couldn't deny that she really had been a bit of a bully. It was hard to get some of them to even play with her anymore, given her antics and attitude. To think, she even had a chance to make a good impression. A fresh start, with a new member of the pride.

But she had blown it, and now Animafsi probably hated her for it. Shame, a new feeling for the princess. Wouldn't stop her from trying to make things right.

When she saw them coming back, she gasped audibly. Both Scar and Simba were there, standing on either side of one of the younger lionesses. Neither looked happy. The gouges on the other female cub made her skin hurt, and then she saw Chaka. He was awake, resting feebly on their dad's back.

She could make out some scrapes on Nuka, but it was her brother that had her attention.

"Chaka!" she rushed over, grabbing Simba's leg with her paws. "What happened, dad..tell me please!"

Simba looked into her eyes. He could see the guilt, and that tipped him off that she might have had something to do with why Chaka had followed Ani out into the Savannah. But for the moment, he would focus on what was of greater importance. "They were attacked. Kiruhu did it. She's gone now, exiled. I had to do it, after what she tried to do. Kakasi left voluntarily...she had nothing to do with the actually attack, but she wished to accompany...you know what...never mind that." he shook his paw in the air, dismissing the rest.

"That isn't important now. I can tell that there is something we need to talk about, but I think I'll give you some time first."

"Dad...I think I'm okay to walk now.." a tug on Simba's mane emphasized the point.

"Alright, if you're sure. I'm still sending someone to get Rafiki. Those cuts that you and Ani have are pretty bad." he reached around, gingerly picking Chaka up before placing him down next to his sister.

Head down and tail sagging, she slowly moved over to her brother. "Hey Chaka...I'm really sorry about what happened. This feels like it's all my fault."

Chaka looked his sibling in the eye. "I know it's not your fault. At least not us getting attacked by that crazy lioness. But you still said some mean things...so if you wanna apologize to someone, " the darker cub pointed to Ani. "It should be to her. Right now all I feel like is resting."

Kiara walked over to the other girl cub. "Hey." she winced when Ani tensed up. "Look, I didn't know about your past. I still don't, but I feel really bad about what happened. What I said, you have to hate me."

She shook her head. "No, I don't. I also don't think it was your fault, like Chaka said...it probably would have happened anyway somewhere else. I'm still pretty upset with you too. But it means a lot to hear that. Maybe one day, we can be friends."

Kiara agreed with her on that.

...

Later that afternoon, both lions were at the end of their rounds. For some reason Scar had decided to accompany his nephew. "You surprised me earlier." he spoke so suddenly that Simba nearly jumped out of his skin.

It embarrassed the king that something so small could startle him so. But a lot of things had put him on edge recently. The antics of his children was one, though there was another older matter that still cropped up on occasion.

"How so?" it was a genuine question.

Scar laughed. "I mean, that I was surprised at how well you handled that situation. Personally you know what my solution would have been...but I suppose mercy can be doled out here and there. Mufasa would be proud of that. You definitely got his soft heart, among other things."

"Maybe so...but I still can't help but think on something. I could have given Zira the same chance I did them...perhaps banishment was a bit too harsh a sentence for her. That bothers me a lot, of how quick I passed judgement. Especially when she had cubs...your cubs."

"Perhaps I could undo it, and invite her back into the Pride Lands." Simba mused.

Scar growled harshly. "No! That is a ridiculous idea and you know it!"

Simba had stopped walking, so Scar quickly darted right in front. Nose almost to nose. "That would be the biggest mistake you could ever make. You had your chance, and you made your decision then. She is far too full of hate and malice. Turn your back on her once, and it might be the last thing you ever do."

He bared his teeth at his uncle. "Is that a threat?"

An exasperated sigh. "No, you petulant over-sized cub. I'm merely warning you of what she could do. Right now, Zira is very unstable. And even more unpredictable. Not even that, as there are many more complications that would arise from such a decision. Especially if made too abruptly. You know the pride would have a fit if you did something like that out of the blue. Believe me, I know from experience how unpleasant a lot of plotting lionesses are.

One day nephew, we will find a way to resolve the issue. It will take time. I can only hope that it is without bloodshed."

"You make some good points." Simna grumbled.

/

Running. Where exactly he didn't know anymore. All he knew was that thing had found him.

It was the reason they were separated in the first place. How it managed to track him down so many days later was a mystery. Not once did he get more than a fleeting glimpse, but the sounds it made suggest it was a very large feline. Truly a bad predicament. As his heart thumped harder with each step, but fighting against fatigue he pressed on. Stopping was not an option.

If he paused even more moment, he would be as good as dead. Memories were flashing in his mind. A plague, because they represented all that had been lost. He knew that if he escaped this beast that there would be time later to reflect. For the moment, they needed to be repressed.

On the horizon a rock formation loomed, standing tall and proud over the surrounding grasslands. Of course! How could he have forgotten?

"Too far, I'll never make it." But it was his only chance. The only means of salvation.

One misstep, and he went tumbling to the ground in a heap of limbs. Less than three seconds passed and he was already on his feet, but that was all that was needed. Picking up speed, he glanced back in horror at what was about to strike.

* * *

**OC Names:**

****Kiruhu: Wrath

Kakasi: Bitter

Mfuasi: Follower, or disciple


	14. Thicker than Water

A/N: Here we are, once again. Chapter was done a bit earlier than I though, which is good. I'm about 1/3 of the way through the 15th one. Things are starting to get very interesting now, and a lot will be coming together soon.

Instead of replying to my reviewers in the notes, and bloating up the chapter length needlessly, I'm going to respond via PM as in my other story.

Seems more professional to do it that way.

Expect the next chapter sometime between the 30th of this month and the 5th of August.

Time to R&R, as they say.

* * *

Night came and went. Exactly as it always did. Sometime in the predawn hours, Scar found himself awake and quite restless.

Perhaps it was everything that had been going on. As always, he slept in his own cave. Simba didn't quite trust him yet and the rest of the pride would never tolerate the idea of him sleeping in the common den. Which suited him perfectly.

Slowly he stepped outside, shivering slightly at the temperature. Black mane glistening in the moonlight, he began pacing back and forth. Despite the time that had passed and all that they had gone through Scar didn't quite trust himself around his nephew. At least not when the latter was sleeping.

Not even a week ago he had stumbled into the den thinking he had heard something. As he saw Simba sleeping peacefully next to Nala, a vile urge began bubbling up within him. The urge to rip. To tear and maim. Dare he even think it, to kill.

Very vividly he could remember the feeling of standing at a crossroads. His whole life out in front of him along with the promise of a fresh start. Or he could go back to how he once was. Scar the murderer. Killer of kith and betrayer of kin. A single sound broke his focus. It was the sound of his newest family members. He didn't know if they ever awoke, because he bolted from the den at that instant. Disgust welled up within him, as it was now recalling the incident.

"How the past always rears it's despicable little head, never ceasing to haunt us." he hissed to himself.

Mercifully those feelings were getting less common as time passed.

Simba was a pain. Insufferably so. No thanks to Scar's actions, there would always be a wedge of sorts between them. Maybe not open hostility, but always a stiff awkwardness prevailing.

Motion caught his eye, and he whirled around. As it turned out, nothing more than the newest addition to the pride.

A smirk. "Well, well, aren't we a naughty girl? A bit past your bed time if I recall."

She whimpered slightly from the wound on her side. Seeing it was enough to make his body start to ache.

"Well...I really can't sleep. Too many nightmares." there was fear in her voice. Not of Scar, but of the things she was beginning to remember.

"That I suppose, makes two of us." a quick glance to the sky, then Scar looked back to the cub. "I'd rather not talk about mine, bit of a family affair." he gave an awkward laugh.

"But please, do feel free to talk about the ones disturbing you. Might give a bit of an insight as to what happened. If you don't mind that is." he smiled in an uncharacteristically gentle fashion.

Ani began breathing a bit faster. "I see things. Shapes at least. Dozens of them, but I don't know what. Roaring and laughter." There was a brief pause in her words, as her body shuddered involuntarily. "...then there was something else. It came well after the attack. My brother and I were separated then."

Pity. No, empathy. "Do you know what manner of creature it was?"

Her head shook. "No. It was big though, at least the size of a lioness. All I saw was a single glimpse, and then I ran. The sounds it made...horrible and unlike any I've heard from either Lions or Leopards."

Scar patted her gently on the head. "Perhaps it was all merely a dream. We can only hope as much. Still, if this has been persisting then it likely is something far more. Much as I despise the notion, perhaps that crazy monkey should be brought out here. Rafiki always has had a knack for that sort of inane thing."

"Maybe." a yawn escaped her lips. "Talking about it actually has made me feel a bit better. Come to think of it too, I am kinda tired."

He ran his paw through his mane thoughtfully. "Yes. Probably a good idea. Now, off you go." Scar gave a nudge with his snout.

As she scampered off to join the rest of the pride, he allowed himself to flop down on the hard ground. Try as he might, he couldn't help but mull over what she had said. If what she saw in those nightmares of hers held any meaning...then it would not bode well. As Scar drifted off to sleep himself, he made a mental note to talk with Simba about it on the morning patrol.

For the first time in weeks, he managed to have a peaceful uninterrupted sleep. No random intrusions, and no nightmares involving anyone from his past. Right as the first rays of sunlight began peaking over the lands did his eyes open. Inches away was his nephew. Scar jumped up, growling softly.

"Some nerve you have, spying on me while I slept." Scar responded, obviously very miffed.

Simba's only reply was to chuckle. "Relax, I was only going to ask-"

"That I hold your paw like always?" his uncle interrupted with a wry laugh. "Much as would love to avoid you and that charming personality of yours, I do have something of importance to discuss. So, shall we head out?"

...

The young king closed his eyes in silent contemplation. "That probably would be for the best. Rafiki knows what he is talking about. Always friendly too, except for that one time that he hit me over the head with his stick." Simba rubbed the back of his head with a paw.

"Well, I suppose someone had to knock some sense into that thick skull." Scar replied dryly.

Simba let out a low growl. His elder looked at him, making note in some of the ways he had changed. He had definitely grown, slightly. And the underside of his mane had taken on a near black color at the tips. Not that it stopped Scar from poking and prodding at his nephew from time to time. His reactions tended to amuse the elder.

"Funny you should say that. Because that was what finally motivated me into challenging you, and taking my place as king." was the red maned lions response. He felt a bit of satisfaction at his uncles sour expression. The two resumed the slow walk back to Pride Rock, with not a dozen words passing between them for several minutes.

Finally Simba decided that he had spent enough time wondering. There were things that needed to be clarified, now. Without stopping to think of the consequences he darted ahead, blocking Scar's path.

"There is something I need to know. You killed my father...tried to kill me. What I don't understand is why...did he really do that, is that why you murdered him!"

His eyes widened, as he was taken aback by the suddenness of the question. Not what he had been expecting.

But how his nephew phrased that question was odd. As if he knew something he should not have. So Scar decided to lead him in, with a question of his own. "So you know of the little lie he told me, and the pride?"

Simba nodded.

At the fringes, his lips curled. "Let me guess, did daddy actually own up to his..._mistake_?"

When Simba hesitated, Scar knew he had him.

"Uh, no he didn't. I just happened to overhear you talking to someone...I forget who, about it." came his response. Far to quickly for his own good. Simba was not a good liar, or at least not when taken by surprise.

"Really now...do tell me this then," the older lion said as he put his nephew on the spot. "What else have you 'overheard' about by sordid past?"

A quick glance at the ground, before looking up to face Scar. "Well...I know Scar isn't your real name. Taka is-" his uncle roaring right in his face silenced him.

"So it was you, eavesdropping little whelp!" Scar raised a paw, but decided against it. This didn't have to turn into a fight. "Listening in on mine and Nuka's conversation...that was a father son type of thing!" he said, trying to think of the best way to word it. Something about it felt very nostalgic.

"Look-" Simba exclaimed defensively. "I never meant to do that. It's just that I happened to be around, and...I was a bit curious. Especially when my father was brought up. This...this has been driving me crazy for months. I know my timing was bad, but it was something I had to know!"

Former king and current stared at each other intently. Scar could understand where Simba was coming from, but that didn't make him any less irritated that he had heard something so private. There wasn't a thing he could think of to say, when suddenly a voice was heard. Someone whom he greatly detested, but was forced to tolerate.

"Simba...there you are!"-"Down by gorge...somethings happened. An attack!"

Zazu. How he loathed the pompous flying rat. That wasn't the issue at hand though. "Well then, spill it you worthless sack of feathers. What happened!"

The bird puffed up. "If I recall, I was talking to the _king_, not you." Extra venom was put into the word king. Enough that Scar knew what he was getting at.

"Zazu!" With that tone, he could almost pass for Mufasa. Both the majordomo and former king could agree on that. "If it's that important, we need to go now."

Oh how he hated it when his nephew was right.

"Of course sire...but does he really need to be present, why you put up with him after all-" Simba roared.

"Enough. Just...show us the way already!" he said grumpily.

They followed, running across the Savannah. When Zazu came to a stop near the edge of the canyon both Simba and Scar could hear the roaring. It was coming from behind a small rock formation overlooking the walls. It had to be the strangest noise either had ever heard. As they rounded the corner, they saw two distinct shapes.

One was big, Scar observed. Much more so than the other. The latter was on the ground, barely even moving. When the cat heard Simba's roar, he or she bolted off. Since the creature managed to stay in the shadows, they were unable to see close enough to identify the larger intruder.

"Yeah that's right. And never come back!" Simba growled, in an attempt to sound menacing. That was forgotten right away when he and Scar saw the mangled state of the other feline.

"I'm getting a terrible sense of deja vu right about now." Scar mumbled. "You, Zazu...don't just stand with that beak of yours agape, go get Rafiki."

He took to the air, but not before shooting the smaller male a hateful glare. "With all due respect, you really have no business ordering me around."

"Just go now Zazu, and make sure to alert the pride, in case whatever that was ends up coming back." the king said, trying to keep his voice level. Turning to the wounded creature, he saw to his relief that the lion was still breathing. Or at least, Simba thought he was a lion. The sheer amount of blood made telling species impossible, but the amount of muscle gave away that it was definitely male.

"Simba, you do know that even with that crazy old baboon's healing medicines that he still might not survive. Those wounds are nasty, and if they grow infected he is as good as dead." Simba's elder said gravely.

"Still though, we have to try to save him...I couldn't live with myself if I knew that we left someone out here to die like that." Scar agreed, but refrained from speaking. His nephew's choice of wounds bothered him for some reason.

Doing the best he could, Simba attempted to clean the wounds. Anything to try and help. Within ten minutes Zazu returned, with several of the lionesses. Flicking his eyes through the crowd he instantly spotted his mate, his mother and Sarafina.

When his uncle leaned down, sniffing near the wounded adolescent, Simba thought nothing of it. When he caught sight of Scar's expression, it became very clear that something was terribly wrong.

Time seemed to slow down as the wind gently blew through his dark mane. "That scent, I remember it from somewhere..." Scar's lips curled into a snarl, and he felt as if he were slipping into a trance. No doubt it his mind, it was the same scent as long ago.

"Filthy rogue!" came the booming roar. He took off, only to have Simba leap in front of him. "When I get my paws on that wretch, I'll gut him like the murdering sack of refuse he is. Out of my way!" running solely on instinct he batted Simba roughly over the side of his head, then kept on running.

Several of the prides females gasped, but were stopped by their monarchs roar. "No, I'll get him. Hopefully before he hurts himself..." Simba rubbed the side of his head, wincing at the pain. Then he promptly took off, trying desperately to keep up with his older relative. A whirlwind of thoughts were bombarding him, and he knew he had every right to be angry. Yet he also felt concerned for his uncles sake. Something that could cause him to lose control so bad could never be good.

Try as he might, his body just wasn't built for speed. Already slowing, he could see the faint outline of the other lion, growing smaller with each passing step. Letting out a frustrated growl, he pushed his body harder. Even if he couldn't catch him, he couldn't allow him to go out of sight.

Several hundred feet ahead, the older lion raced across the Savannah. It was faint, but he was locked onto the scent. Very faintly he could feel his limbs throbbing with each step. Later he would really be hurting, but that didn't concern him. Jumping over a log, he managed to see something slink into some taller grass.

Snarling, Scar followed. Only a few dozens steps in and he was forced to come to a halt. A drop off, fairly steep at that. "Blast!' he spat in anger. "Lucky fool, if only I'd caught you..."

"And what would you have done if you did, _Taka_?" whispered a menacing voice. Scar turned, teeth bared, but was blindsided by a swipe to the face. Head spinning, he barely caught himself in time, as his back half slid over the edge.

Claws dug deep into his front feet, the only thing keeping him from sliding further down. Then came the voice. "I take it you know I'm the one. Don't worry, it'll be over much quicker for you than it was for him." a laugh, then Scar felt himself being flung down. After rolling several times, he felt his head smash into a rock. Then his whole world went black.

...

"Dammit Scar, what's gotten into you!?" Simba's mind was racing, nearly as fast as his own heart was pounding. No longer being able to keep track of his uncle by sight, instead he employed his sense of smell. Up ahead, he saw a patch of tall grass. A warning went off in his head, something on an instinctual level told him that if he went in he would be heading right into a trap.

Instead he veered off, heading down a gentle sloping portion of the hill. Reaching he bottom, he heard a loud noise from up top. Then, to his horror he saw Scar slip over the side. To his relief he saw his uncle catch himself, but that good feeling didn't last. Somehow or another, he saw Scar go flying over backwards, smashing over rock as he fell. To Simba, it was a horribly familiar situation.

Then he head the final dull thud.

"Noooooo!" roaring louder than he ever had, the young male raced towards his uncles fallen form.

...

A single well placed jump, and he managed to pull himself up into the branches of a large Acacia tree. A thorn snagged the edge of his tail, but he hardly paid it any mind.

Today he had taken a big risk, one that should never have happened. Not that death scared him, but he had so much to accomplish before it came. Admitingly he had allowed himself to get too absorbed in the thrill of a chase, though he knew that it wasn't wise to leave any lose ends. Especially not ones that contained that kind of information.

What it had done was nearly put him into the predicament of facing down two male lions. One, he figured he could handle...two was out of the question. The first one should have died, but he detested the fact that he had been interrupted before making sure it was done.

Not that it mattered. From his perch, he could barely even see the edge of the Pridelands, so he knew that there was no chance of anyone pursuing him.

Besides, he was expecting a report from one of his most trusted subordinates. And with the way things had played out, he was in a very good mood, enough so that he might even spare the other's life even if what it brought wasn't up to his standard.

A high pitched cackle prompted him to look down. Lips curled into a twisted smile, he couldn't help but be in awe of all the injuries his pet sported. So many wounds, some old and long since scarred over, others far more fresh.

Grunting, he landed right next to his 'ally'.

...


	15. Turmoil of the Soul

A/N: Done, a few days ahead of my best estimate too. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

The plot is beginning to thicken, but it will be some time before things really start coming together. This chapter is a bit short, but expect the next to be closer to 4,000 words. Estimated time frame for it is somewhere between August 10th and the 15th. Could be a bit sooner or later, depending on how much I get done, and what all comes up.

I want to thank everyone for the reviews, and will work on replying to those in short order.

New OC in this chapter, sort of.

Amani: Swahili for peace.

Don't forget to read and review.

* * *

The world around him spun, producing a dizzying array of colors and shapes. Images, sounds flickered before him, never settling on one thing for more than a couple seconds at a time. Finally everything faded, till he was stuck in what seemed to be this thick, dark haze.

Was he alive? Dead? Or just some damnable void in between. It didn't matter, all he wanted was to get out. That was when he saw two distinct shapes walking though the mist. Or rather, the mist seemed to part as they advanced. As if something about them repelled it's darker nature.

That was when he noticed that it seemed to be both drawn to and repulsed by him. As if there were some sort of barrier that prevented it from making contact with his skin.

Squinting his eyes he could tell that the two were both lions. Females. When he saw who it was, what should have been his heart skipped several beats. They looked similar to one another, and though he didn't know the second personally, he instantly recognized her as his grandmother. Amani. She had passed when he was still a newborn.

The other, well he would have been a fool not to figure it out.

"Mother...but how, you...you're dead..." Scar spoke, voice trembling. So far the implications weren't good. At least not for him.

"We both are." chimed the other. Scar could see her more clearly now that she was mere feet away. Smaller than his mother, if only by a tiny bit. Fur was a much lighter almost auburn color. And a tuft above her eye, much like his own daughter had. Only instead of black it was a deep chocolate brown.

Guilt struck him, stronger than ever before. Simba was one thing, but this was his mother in front of him. And he had no doubts that she had witnessed every atrocity that he had ever committed. Both of them would have been able to see everything.

Uru smiled at her younger child. "Taka. You've grown so much since I last saw you."

Balking at the mention of his old name, he shook his head. "That's not my name anymore. Taka no longer exists. I told you a long time ago, my name is Scar." he meant to sound proud and confident in his dismissal. Instead, he sounded more like a guilty cub accused of some misdoing.

She gave a sad laugh. "Maybe so, but you will always be known as Taka to me. I know who you once were...before everything happened. And believe me...that lion still lives on within you. My son, you are so much more than what you have become. If only you would see that."

"You say that like there is still something worthy of redeeming..." a fierce look came into his green eyes. "Well mother, sorry to be the bearer of such news, but you're wrong!"

Scar growled. "I'm sure you've both seen it for yourselves, all things I've done. I'm nothing but an usurper, the tyrant king! Mufasa, my own brother and your eldest child...I murdered him dear mother. And I tried to do the same to his only child. For nothing more than to rule...to be king. Can't you see, there is nothing good left in me."

His grandmother gave a derisive snort at his statement.

When Uru walked closer, nuzzling him, he found himself a a bit aback. "I think you're selling yourself a bit short. What you did to Mufasa, and to Simba was wrong. Detestable, but both my mother and I can look past it now. It took us a long time, but we've come to terms with what you've done. "

Amani spoke up. "Yes. Not all of your actions were...evil, so to say. When you started out, you were a fine king. Anyone could see that much. But the pressures of ruling, and your own guilt caught up with you in the end. I can't say I proud of those later actions, or what you did to Mufasa and his boy-" she gave a reproachful look,"-that would be a lie. You do, however feel remorse for what you've done. Standing by Simba's side, even when most of the pride wanted you gone took a lot of determination."

"Plus, you've shown that you truly care. Not only for the cubs you fathered, but for Simba's as well." Uru said with a somber smile. "You even stood up for a cub that was of no relation to you, regardless of what anyone else thought."

"Perhaps so. When I first saw you, I expected to be judged, to have to try and defend my actions. At the time, it all felt as if it were the right thing to do. Only after it's all fallen by the wayside can I really see what I've lost."-"If I might so ask, what happens from here, assuming the worst is true?"

Uru looked at him quizzically, before smiling. Next to her, Amani actually laughed.

"Wait, what's so funny, I could be dead too you know!" Scar said sharply.

"Relax son, you're very much alive. Not even seriously wounded. Even as we speak, you're nephew is carrying you back to Pride Rock." Uru replied.

Amani gave a wry expression. "I swear, that boy cares more for you than he'd ever willingly admit. Despite the hell you cast upon him, you're still family to him."

For some reason, that didn't make him feel any less guilty. "I see then. Well, how am I supposed to get back?"

"Simple dear, you just wake up." his mother told him softly. "It was good seeing you Taka, but I hope it will be a long time before we meet again. You still have a long life ahead of you..and many obstacles to overcome. Never forget this, my son. In your heart always remember me, and never forget who you are. Remember."

Everything started to fade again, growing darker. He could still see the two lionesses for several seconds, and one word kept repeating itself in his head. _Remember..._

...

Pain, all over. His head hurt the worst. Vividly he recalled what had just happened. Was it a dream? No...it meant something. He could still hear the last words spoken between him and his mother. As he pondered, he became aware of what was going on. Simba was supporting him on his back, and at least half the pride was them.

"Simba..." he rasped. Even his throat stung. "Nephew...I...I'm sorry..."

Nearly tripping over his own feet, he managed to collect himself. "Don't worry about it...I never found who did that, but I'm not upset at you for this."

"No...simpleton. That's not what I meant." Scar took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, for everything."

Simba stopped mid stride. Scar had managed to relocate himself, though he was till leaning in the larger male for support. Sure Scar regretted his actions, that was obvious. But never before had he actually apologized for them. How he should react, the king honestly had no idea.

"Scar. Uncle, that...that means a lot to me. But you know, I can't just forgive you like that. I wish I could, I want to put it behind me for good. It's that, what you've done is going to take a lot more time. One day I know I'll have the strength to do so." his voice was shaking, and his entire body trembling.

Steadying himself, Scar ran a paw through his dark mane. Something wet. Blood, not much and already drying. Luck had been with him on that, or at least he told himself that's what it was.

Looking at the other, Scar began walking. Slowly. "Truth be told nephew, I expected you to say something of that nature. What I've done to you, and the rest of your family was inexcusable. Perhaps tomorrow...after this blasted pain in my head subsides, I'll honor your request. You do deserve to know my side, for what it's worth." he glanced off, looking at the gorge with a morose expression. In a flash it was gone, replaced by cool indifference once more.

His opposite knew that he would be getting nothing out of him pertaining to that at the moment, so instead he opted to focus on what was more relevant. "Now, putting that off for now. Care to explain why you took off like that, or hitting me over the head?"

Scar's lip curled, nearly into a snarl. "Oh I intend to...I'm not sure if you heard this in your little eavesdropping session, but that rogue, he's been around before. Many years ago, your grandfather and Mufasa were forced to defend the pridelands. Three males, taking advantage of my absence, decided to try and take the territory."

Each and every word was being spoken, almost as if it were poison. "They failed, and I presumed them all to have perished. Like so many other things, that was to good to be true. Mufasa as you could probably have surmised, survived. Our father, Ahadi wasn't so lucky. After driving off the others, he was grievously wounded. Less than a day later, he passed. The rogues scent, was the only one on his body. Meaning he was the one to deliver the fatal injuries, of that I am certain. "

Moisture formed, but Scar didn't allow it to go any further. "From here on out, we should probably be on guard, up the patrols and so on and so forth. I will not take any chances with this one."-"

A few feet away, Simba looked at him, in complete understanding. "I agree, completely actually. We can't be too careful with this."

"And Simba, there is one other matter that you'd best not try and stop me from doing. Despite your misgivings towards her, I don't desire to see her killed. Moreover, my other two children are with her. So with or without you, I fully intend on warning her of the danger." He eyed the larger male carefully, observing his reaction.

With a single nod, the king gave his approval. "I understand actually. She still means a lot to you. Plus, I still wouldn't want something like that to happen to her. Especially since that would put my younger cousins at risk. You have my blessing with this one. I think I can arrange something, so that you two can meet safely. Man, Zazu is going to hate me for this..."

Despite the tense situation, both males found it in themselves to laugh at Simba's remark. Scar was walking on his own, but the pain from prior injuries was making it a bit slow going for him. Looking, he saw that Nala and her mother carrying the wounded juvenile. Still unconscious, but with any luck he would live. If he himself could survive being mauled by so many hyenas, then their might yet be hope for this stranger as well.

Thinking about that made him growl softly. Being bitter was in his nature, but he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he brought it upon himself. Simba would never go for it, he was quite certain of that, but Scar felt that he still owed his old friends something for betraying them.

Upon reaching pride rock, they brought the injured one into Scar's cave. Normally he would not allow anyone in, but privacy meant nothing in this situation. It was a fitting place if nothing else. Rafiki was already there, though how he knew just where to be was a mystery to the older lion. Something about the Circle of Life popped into his mind, but he shoved it away as fast as it appeared. Not important how, just that he was around.

Looking over the individual, the shaman knew it didn't look good. There was fresh water in the cave, from the recent rains, so without a word he went over and filled one of his many gourds with it. Carefully, he poured it over the marks and tears in the lions flesh, cleaning away as as much of the dirt and filth as possible. "Dis is very bad. But old Rafiki thinks that this young one just might pull though."

He popped another of the fruits open, smearing it's contents around on each of the lacerations. "Dere, dis should ward away the infection. But the next few days shall prove very critical...so Rafiki will stay and attend to him. Who or what did dis, all this old baboon can say is that they left their mark on him. In more ways than one."

...

Anxiously Nuka was running, to where he knew Kiara and the others were playing. Several of the pride females were watching the cubs. Some didn't look happy about their task, though Nuka wasn't sure why. All he knew was that some strange lion had been found near the gorge, having nearly been fatally set upon.

For some reason or another that he could place, he felt that it greatly pertained to at least one of the three. Skidding to a halt, he nearly fell flat on his face in front of them.

Chaka tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Hey, what's gotten you so excited, did something happen?"

Scar's son quickly jerked his head up and down. "Yeah...someone was attacked..near the canyon..." he sputtered between breaths. "Right now he is in dad's cave, both he and Simba are there. Whatever it is, I h-heard that it was really bad. And somethings telling me that you all need to come see who i-it is."

"Then we should go check it out then, I kinda want to see who it is..." Kiara was curious, but she was also a bit worried for whoever it was. Something about it seemed off anyway.

Taking off at a sprint, with her brother and Animafsi to either side, she followed her older cousin back to Scar's den.

Both her father and uncle were talking to the baboon, who seemed to have just administered something to the wounded feline. As they entered the cave, all three sets of eyes went to her and the other younger lions. She cringed slightly at the sight, almost wishing they hadn't gone. Never in her young life had she seen someone hurt so bad.

Looking to her side she saw that the hybrid cub was visibly trembling, with tears running down her face. "Is...are you okay?" her tone was sincere, Kiara could see the older female cub was definitely upset by what she saw.

Pushing past Simba's daughter Ani darted to the wounded lion, not giving any of the adults the time so stop her. "This...not you too, brother..."

Scar heard what she said, and his head quickly swiveled over to look at the two. "Brother?"


	16. Suscitatio

A/N: Well, here we are. And right on target for the time goal I set for myself. Enough stressful things going on, so I'm surprised I made it. Chapter 17 is in the words, sitting at over 1k words right now. Some translations here, you'll all figure out where they come in later on.

As for the reviews, I think I'm caught up on replies thus far. If I missed anyone, feel free to tell me in another one.

Without further detraction, the chapter:

**Translations:**

Great: Kubwa (Swahili)

Spotted: Maculatam (Latin)

Cat: Felis (Latin)

From: Ex (Latin)

Beyond: zaidi ya (Swahili)

Water: Maji (Swahili)

It also occurred to me that I forgot to put a few in. So here they are:

Bwana (Swahili): Lord or Master

Prater (Latin): Brother

Kidogo (Swahili): Little

Sororem (Latin): Sister

* * *

"Brother?"

Simba looked over, hearing what Scar said. Now that the blood was cleared, it was painfully obvious to him. Especially when he could see the two side by side.

"You can't die brother, you're the only family left!" she sobbed into his fur. Seeing that he was breathing normally made her feel a bit better, but not much.

Scar walked over to his nephew, and made sure that he spoke low enough that only the king would hear. "I wasn't expecting this, believe me. But now we have to do everything in our power, not just to make sure he lives...but to find out something about the filthy bastard that did this. Once he wakes up, he should be able to tell us something."

"Right, just...when he does we should give them some time. And please, none of your usual interrogation methods uncle." Simba gave a small smile at that.

"I wouldn't dream of such a thing," spoke the elder with mock hurt."...but all the same he is our biggest lead. If it makes you feel any better, you can be the one to ask the questions, your majesty."

"Hey, Ani." said the king. "Rafiki thinks he'll be fine now, right?" he asked the baboon.

"Well, old Rafiki, he most certainly tinks so. That one is very lucky one indeed, but he should be fine. Can't say when he might awaken, but it should be within the next day or two."

"Yes, and we'll make sure he is well taken care of. Rafiki has generously offered to stay and make sure. Don't worry dear, we shall figure out who did this." _And he will pay._ Scar added as an afterthought.

"Okay...I...I trust you all. I'm going to be here though, to check on him." Ani looked around awkwardly. "Prince Scar, can...can I sleep in here tonight, I want to be around in case he wakes up."

His dark mane fluttered, as he shook his head in shock. "Prince?"

Ani smiled. "Well, you're nephew is the king right? That means that before he was born, his father would have been king. Making you a prince."

Scar gave a laugh, though it was a sad one. "I'm afraid you're...a bit off. I once was, but no more. Enough on that though." he stroked his chin with a paw. "I do suppose however, that I could acquiesce to your request."

She tilted her head, a bit confused by the word.

In her ear, Nuka whispered, "Means yes."

"Oh..." a grin broke out on her face. "Thank you, Scar...thank you so much!" instantly she ran over, wrapping both paws around him in a hug. To his chagrin, the older lion found himself returning the gesture.

Simba observed the scene, not wanting to say anything. If nothing else, it was amusing. And proof that Scar was changing. Silently he thanked his father, for giving him the words needed to save Scar all those months ago.

Then he saw something, peculiar. Chaka was looking at Scar and the other cub a bit strangely. Not with jealousy...but perhaps...envy. The king smiled, before looking back to the older hybrid. How he looked now was a definite improvement over when he was found. Hopefully, he would come around soon. Both for his sisters sake, and that of Simba's own pride.

"Ani, you want to know something." It was Nuka doing the talking. "As much as y-you want to be here, I doubt he would want you to stand over him constantly t-too worried to even have fun. So, why don't we go out and finish that game?"

"Nuka, you weren't even playing. We were." Kiara gave him a playful shove with her paw.

"Right...I knew that. "the young adolescent said sheepishly.

Chaka looked at his older cousin and then back to Ani. "It would be good for her, but she is on my team, got it."

"Of course brother, as always. "Kiara said in a slightly annoyed voice.

...

True to his word, Scar allowed the female cub to stay in his cave with her brother. Of course, he slept outside at the entrance. Not because he hated her company, but he simply thought that she deserved her privacy on this. Should anything happen, he told her to inform him right away. Assuming it was of importance.

Moonlight was washing over the land, and he found himself looking at the stars. His father always told him about the Great Kings of the Past, that they always watched over those left behind. That was the condensed version, that he was told as a cub. As an adult, he found that the subject matter was far more complex.

He had rejected it long before assuming the throne, but lately he had been reevaluating many of his prior notions. That dream he had while unconscious was a major reason for that. "Mufasa...brother. It can only assume that you resent me for what I've done. Killing you in cold blood and trying to murder your son. I was wrong, so very wrong. If not for me, but for everyone else...please watch over us."

A sigh escaped his lips. These things were so hard to admit to himself, let alone plead to the spirit of a long deal lion, one that might very well despise him. The absurdity of the situation made him laugh softly to himself.

"Father, you said you'd always be there for me. Funny how so much changed..."

A faint breeze kicked up around him. Only lasting for a split second, it was enough of a surprise to make the lion's jaw drop.

...

Another nightmare. These happened so often that he no longer even had to question it. This occurred rather frequently. It was when he first proposed the plot to murder Mufasa to the hyenas.

"_So be prepared, for the death of the king!" Scar cackled wickedly._

_Banzai raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What, is he sick?_

_Mane flowing like a dark flame, the lion spoke smoothly. "No fool, were going to kill him. Simba too."_

_"Wait jus' a minute!" Shenzi was surprised at the statement. "The prince was one thing, but are you oughta your damn mind or somethin?" _

_"Quite the opposite. I've never felt better or more sure about anything in my entire life." the lie rolled off his tongue easily. Almost enough to convince himself it was true. "I don't have anything personal against the spoiled brat...other than stealing my birthright of course. He is but a mere obstruction on the road to glory. Thus, he needs to be removed."_

_His teeth flashed menacingly. "Dear Mufasa on the other hand, he has proven time and again how he thinks of me. You remember what I told you, of how he lied to me about Ahadi's last request!" the last three words came out as a booming roar. One that attracted several other members of the clan._

_"But what's in it for us, cause I'm not so sure I can be a part of that." the matriarch grumbled. "Mufasa ain't nothing like Ahadi. He at least won' kill us on sight."_

_"Yeah!" echoed a voice. "He might not be our king, but he don't seem half bad... we might have a chance wit h-"_

_"No!" Scar screamed. "It's not just about that. I'll explain." Now he was starting to sweat, as dozens of eyes watched him intently._

_Shenzi scoffed. "You betta get to it then! Killin for no good reason ain't something I can do...so what do we get out of it?"_

_"Think about it...if both the King and Prince were to meet their ends, where would that leave us?"_

_"Uhh, there won't be a king?" Banzai said dimly to Scar's now angered expression._

_"Ha, no king!" Shenzi echoed, with her and Banzai proceeding to make some annoying little song by repeating the words over and over again. He ran a paw roughly over his face before glaring at them._

_"Idiots!" he bellowed. "There will be a king!"_

_Banzai raised a paw in question. "But you said there wouldn't-"_

_Scar puffed out his chest in pride. "I will be king. And if you stand by me, I'll ensure that you never go hungry again!"_

_"Thatsa awfully big boast." A higher ranking female said that, prompting a glare from the matriarch. That did raise a question in her mind though._

_"So, how do ya plan on makin that one work?"  
_

_"So very glad you asked my lady." his grin grew broader. "The king makes the rules, you fools all know that. Because of previous kings your species is prohibited from entering the pridelands. But if I were to be king, that would be very beneficial to all of hyena kind. I would throw that archaic rule aside, and grant you all full access to the pridelands. With all the privileges that entails."  
_

_He observed his audience, knowing that he had them hanging on almost every word. "So who's with me!"_

_"Were with ya boss, long live the king!" Banzai pumped the air with a single paw, a motion quickly copied by Shenzi and Ed._

_"Long live the King!" she said, with Ed laughing out his own version of the words._

_Now the entire clan was chanting in unison. _

_"Long live the king!"_

_"Long live the King!"_

_Scar basked in the praise for a few moments, before motioning them for silence. "__Of course, quid pro quo, you're expected to take certain duties on board. We need a plan, to eliminate Mufasa and his brat. Not just any mere assassination, no. The pride would sniff out a coup like that from a mile away. But the future is bright indeed, and littered with spoils galore. We are at the dawn of a shining new era, so prepare for the murkiest scam._

___Years of denial, but you'll all see. I shall be king undisputed...and seen for the wonder I am. Now, my ambitions at long last are bared. Be prepared..."_

In a cold sweat, he awoke. His speech was still playing in his mind, but he did his best to block it out. It was still night time, though the first rays of daylight were beginning to pierce the veil night cast on the land. "A shining new era..." he nearly spat. "Rubbish."

...

_A few weeks before...several miles beyond the boundaries of the Pridelands._

He swatted some of the bones of the recent kill aside. Things were looking as bad as they had ever been, but at least food could be had in this place from time to time. Nothing like the Pridelands, or what they were before everything went to hell. But a hindsight better than the Graveyard or the Outlands.

That wasn't the cause of his less than stellar mood though. "Damn that stupid lion. All that we done for'im and he had ta go and sell us out."A single chuckle came out, but it was very dejected sounding. Nothing like his usual self.

"Why Ed, we hada good thing going before he went all loco on us!"

The speech challenged hyena let loose a series of crazed laughs. At least, that is how they would have sounded to most. Banzai had known him since before they could walk, and always had a bit of a knack for deciphering his bizarre method of communication. Being such, he also knew that the hyena was anything but stupid.

Footsteps. "So, whats got you dopes down in the dumps?"

"Nothin Shenzi, just thinkin is all." Banzai muttered.

"You, thinkin...now that'd be the day." she gave short laugh. "Seriously, somethings eaten at ya. So out with it!"

"It's Scar. I know he stabbed'us in the back'n all, but I didn't want him to get killed for it." he gave the matriarch a pleading look as Ed let out a low whine. "You're the one in charge senorita, why didn't you try'n stop them!?"

Shenzi looked at him in surprise. Banzai was rarely so assertive towards her. Shock only lasted for a moment before she narrowed her eyes. "You stupid ass!" she bonked him over the back of his head with her paw.

He looked as if he were going to snarl, but quickly rethought the matter over. Instead, he backed away slowly in a more submissive manner. "Hey, what'cha do that for?"

"Cause I could." her looked softened slightly. "Ya know good and damn well I couldn'ta stopped it. Remember, we wasn't the only ones that heard his little betrayal. What'the hell you think would've happened if we stood up for'm 'gainst the clan?"

Wheels started turning in Banzai's head. Then Ed let loose a few low pitched chortles, causing the male hyena's mouth to fall open in horror.

Shenzi smirked at them. "Now you get it numb nuts?" she growled softly. "They would'a turned on us in a second if we tried to back'm up. Everything was fallin apart...that was the las' straw that brought'tall down."

"Besides...think...think of it as'a mercy killin." A couple tears slid from her eyes, and for once she didn't deny or try to conceal them.

Banzai snarled, before seeing the look. In all his life he could never recall seeing her so vulnerable looking. "How...how was'us rippin'em to pieces a mercy for him!" he shouted back.

Her expression changed again, as she glanced to the ground briefly. "Think'bout it for a sec why don'tcha?"-"Scar murdered his father, exiled'm and then sicced us on'm. Then when Simba came back all grown he tried to kill'm 'gain. If you was that mangy fur pile, would you've started being all nicey nice to someone like that?!" she snapped back sharply.

He shook his head.

"Exactly. If anythin' we did'm a favor by not lettin Simba finish'the job."

Ed started making gestures and jabbering loudly, causing the other two nod in agreement.

Banzai sighed sadly. "Yeah Ed, I know what ya mean. Stupid ol' lion...could've ran off wit us and forgotten all about that crap hole kingdom a his."

Clattering of footsteps on rocks, which got the trio's attention right away. One of the larger high ranking females.

"Bwana Shenzi!"

"What is it Shikamano...better be important." the matriarch barked.

"Oh it is ...Scar...he lives. And so does yo cousin!"

...

Brushing his dark mane from his eyes, the lion skulked passed several of his female pride mates. They thought they were being quiet, but he could still hear the things spoken to one another. Whispers of, "I can't believe Simba still lets him stay."- "...I'll never understand that one..."-"He seems to be changing though, maybe we should give him a chance...", finally he closed his mind to it all.

So much distrust, even if most weren't all that vocal about it. He could pretend that it didn't bother him, but the truth was very different. What he couldn't figure was what bothered him more. The foul dismissive comments, or those filled with pity and sympathy. Some of the older ones knew of his history, and actually knew some of the things he had went through.

And then he had Sarafina, the biggest enigma out of all of them. He really could never be quite certain what was going on in the mind of that one. Once she learned the full extent of his crimes, her reaction was still subdued. Scar could feel the anger, along with the sense of betrayal emanating from her being. But there was something else...it wasn't that he she was feeling sorry for him, but it was definitely something resembling empathy.

Naturally, most were caught up in the recent turn of events. Not all cared for the fate of the injured hybrid, but it was the bigger picture that had the pride on edge. Something had been bold enough to attack him, and that scared a great many. A thorn in the prides collective side he may be, but Scar knew that they as a whole considered him the lesser evil.

"Quite the conundrum indeed...to think that there is someone that the lionesses could rally behind to hate even more than myself." he laughed. It wasn't a laughing matter, but the lion couldn't help himself.

Then heavy footsteps. "Well, seems you're amused by something."

Of course, it had to be _him_.

"Nothing to concern yourself with." he grumbled.

He turned to face Simba. "Any changes in his condition?"

With a contemplative expression the king shook his head. "Not really. Rafiki says that his condition is stable, and that he should still wake up soon. But we have no idea when."

Scar took a breath before letting it escape in a hiss. "Troubling as it may be, we should consider our lucky stars that he is still alive. It pains me to have to wait, but when the time is right he will wake up. That is truly all that matters now. The great kings must really have been looking over him..."

Simba shook his head, red mane fluttering all about, in a effort to dispel what he heard. "To think we've come to this...I thought you didn't believe in any of that stuff uncle...did something happen when you knocked your head yesterday?"

The older lion looked at him with a wry smile.

...

_She had to run, to escape from the monster. Even now she was with the fiends cub, and he couldn't seem to care less. Enough so that he and his brother were hell bent on her death._

_To think that two beings so much younger were capable of such depravity was sickening. Her she was, a full grown female and they did **this** to her. Barely more than juveniles and already so twisted. _

_A set of claws ripped into her flank, but instead of slowing down it only served to spur her onward. Escape. She had too, and not just for her sake. Her cubs needed to live, even if they were doomed to be freakish little bastards they were still her children. And she was bound and determined to give them a life far from him and his ilk._

_"Run as fast as you want **lioness**, we're still coming for you!"_

_Teeth this time, biting into her side. All she could do was roar in agony._

Which she was still doing even when she woke up. Her dark furred partner was beside her in an instant.

"Another bad dream, love?"

"Yes. It was that one again..."

...

"I just can't stop thinking about him, who could do such a thing?" remarked the female cub softly.

Nuka narrowed his eyes before glancing back to the cave. "I don't know Ani. But whoever it was t-tried to kill my dad too. I've b-been told revenge is wrong, but here I'm not sure sure."

He scratched the scruffy beginnings of his mane.

"My dad tells me the same thing cousin." Chaka took a swipe at a large bug. "And I think he's right. But they catch the creep, and we won't have to worry about anyone else getting hurt."

In a single gulp he swallowed the slimy insect whole. "Slimy, yet satisfying."

His elder coughed while Ani looked as if she wanted to throw up. "Did you just do what I think you did?"

Kiara smiled devilishly. "Why, does it gross you out or something?" she playfully shoved a worm into the hybrid cubs face. With a growl Ani pounced on her, trying to pin her to the ground.

"I think you two h-have spent a bit too much time around Timon and Pumbaa." Scar's offspring chuckled at the twins.

The females wrestled back and forth, with Kiara eventually pinning the smaller cub. "Gotcha!"

"No you don't!" Right away her brother tackled her, knocking her to the ground. Not wanting to fall for the same trick, he quickly pinned her back paws to the ground as well.

"No fair brother, two is cheating!" she stuck her tongue out jokingly, only for Animafsi to drop a nasty looking beetle onto it.

Kiara gagged. "Blech!" she spat the thing out. "All right, all right! I won't tease her about bugs any more, just let me up."

"You better." he said with a smirk as he released her.

"You know, I've been wondering something." Nuka said as he rubbed the growing fur below his chin. "Ani here is half lion half leopard, r-right?"

She nodded upon hearing her name.

"So what do we call her...obviously n-not any of those two names will work..."

Chaka thought he had an idea. "How about a Liard?"

His sister made an exasperated hissing noise before shoving him to the ground. "That sounds stupid."

"That gives me an idea!" the oldest gave a goofy grin. "Her father was a leopard, and h-her mother a lion...so take the first half from leopard a-and the second from lion. What do y-you get?

"Leopon? Ani said, tilting her head slightly.

Nuka nodded. "Precisely."

...

Scar slowly propped himself up, glancing down from the entrance to his lair. Despite the prevailing foul mood he was stuck in, seeing his son and Simba's children frolicking together brought a small smile to his face. It only lasted for a second, but the feeling lingered despite his other worries.

He was beginning to groom himself when Simba came speeding from it's depths. Somehow he had forgotten that his younger relative was inside speaking to that shaman.

"Scar, no time for talk!" the king said hastily. "Get Ani, Rafiki says her brother is about to wake up!"

"What, so soon!?" the smaller lion froze for a second, till the wheels in his head snapped into place. "Right, of course."

Bolting, he made his way down to the patch of grass where the young ones were.

Nuka heard the footfalls first. "Something wrong dad?"

He shook his head, before motioning to the leopon. "You, come with me. You're brother is waking up!"

Unwilling to travel at her pace, he quickly scooped her up by the scruff of her neck. In thirty seconds he was already back at the mouth of his abode. Scar cast a look at Nuka, who was only a few paces behind him. "Just her. I know you're all concerned, but we don't need everyone crowding around them."

He dropped her gently, then nudged her with his paw. "Go."

Heart racing, she scampered inside. Her older sibling was groaning, tossing himself back and forth on his makeshift bedding. After what felt like forever, his eyes slowly slid open.

"Prater...I was so scared after everything..." she nuzzled his fur, mindful of his many injuries.

"Kidogo sororem...Animafsi...glad to see," he looked around, seeing the male lion sitting a few feet away. Straining his eyes, he also caught sight of another at the entrance of the cave. "Glad to see that you're well. Lions...who'd have thought we would meet again with a pride surrounding us." he gave a pained laugh.

"Wait...I remember now...I was running...towards a big rock formation. Our father told me to run to it, that there was a pride that would gladly take us in. This...this is what he was talking about, isn't it?" he looked at Simba curiously.

A deep rumble came from the large lions throat as he laughed. "Indeed it is. This is Pride Rock, and I...I'm the king of these lands."

Nusidae bowed his head to the best of his abilities. "Thank you, my liege...for saving my sister and myself as well. I...I don't know how I'll manage to repay that..."

"You don't have to do anything of the sort." spoke the king. " Well, I would like one thing. Who was the lion that attacked you?"

Nusidae bared his teeth reflexively. "Lion, you think that monster was a lion?" the adolescent shook his head back and forth. "I assure, he was no lion. _Kubwa maculatam felis ex zaidi ya the great maji._ Roughly, it means great spotted cat beyond the great sea. Like a leopard, only different. Bigger."

...

...


End file.
